


Wait For It

by dimpled_halo



Category: How I Met Your Mother, One Direction (Band)
Genre: Anal Sex, Angst, Angst and Romance, Babies, Best Friends, Bottom Harry, Bottom Louis, Break Up, Butt Plugs, Casual Sex, Choking, Come Swallowing, Declarations Of Love, Dirty Talk, Dom/sub Undertones, Domestic Fluff, Drinking, Drunk Sex, Endgame Larry, Eventual Happy Ending, Exes, Exes to Lovers, Falling In Love, Family Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Friends With Benefits, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Getting Back Together, Happy Ending, Heartbreak, Heartbroken Louis Tomlinson, Holidays, Idiots in Love, Inspired by How I Met Your Mother, Jealous Harry, Jealous Louis, Las Vegas, Light Bondage, Love Confessions, Love at First Sight, M/M, Meeting the Parents, Miscommunication, OT5, OT5 Friendship (One Direction), One Night Stands, Oral Sex, POV Louis Tomlinson, Possessive Harry, Post-Break Up, Public Blow Jobs, Recreational Drug Use, Riding, Roommates, Rough Sex, Semi-Public Sex, Sharing a Bed, Slow Burn, Smut, Spanking, Strangers to Lovers, Surprise Pairing, Tomlinshaw - Freeform, Top Harry, Top Louis Tomlinson, Under-negotiated Kink
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-16
Updated: 2020-05-16
Packaged: 2020-06-25 15:59:01
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 119,717
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19749010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dimpled_halo/pseuds/dimpled_halo
Summary: “You’re doing it again.” Zayn’s voice breaks him away from his thoughts.Louis furrows his brows. “What?”Zayn waves his hand around. “You’ve got that dreamy look on your face. You’re thinking about the future love of your life, again aren’t you?”Zayn is staring at him in a way like he’s daring Louis to lie so he could call him out on it. Liam and Zayn can read him like a book, making it hard for Louis to keep anything from them. Instead of trying to lie, he resigns himself and lets out a breath.“I am.”A How I Met Your Mother au with a better ending. Louis is ready to find the love of his life and when he meets Harry he thinks he's finally found them. Liam and Zayn have been together since college and are ready to take the next step in their relationship, except Zayn might be having doubts. And Niall is happy with no strings attached dating until a new employee at the bar they frequent walks into his life and makes him question his entire existence.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hello and welcome back!
> 
> I've been working on this fic for what feels like ages but I'm so excited to finally get to share it with you. How I Met Your Mother was one of my favorite shows, flaws and all. I was thinking of ideas for a fic where Harry and Louis fall in love fast and break up but then later in life get back together and this is what came of it. Now a few things:
> 
> -You don't have to have seen the show to read this. There will be some references that some might recognize, but I've made this my own as much as possible. Niall is the Barney character but a much milder and non-mysogonistic version of him.  
> -There will be a part in the fic where Louis and Nick Grimshaw are in a relationship. If you're not a fan of Nick, this is probably not a fic for you. If you don't like seeing HL with other characters, this probably isn't the fic for you. There won't be anything explicit scenes between them, but they'll be implied. It's all part of Louis' journey in the fic and I ask you to bear with me as I tell this part of the story. I promise you won't regret it.  
> \- Louis and Harry will end up together and it will be great, I swear. I'm a fan of stories with flawed characters that grow throughout a story and I wanted to show that in this fic. I hope I was able to accomplish that.  
> -The boys are American (except for Harry) and the story takes place in Chicago instead of New York. Chicago is my home and I'm more familiar with it than trying to have it set in New York so yeah. I love my city and I'll take any and every opportunity to have fics set there.
> 
> Thank you so much to my betas Lynda and Maggie. Without you, this thing would be a pile of messy words. I'm so grateful for your patience with me in trying to get these chapters done and your quickness and amazing editing skills. Thanks for challenging me to do better to tell this story. I appreciate it more than you'll ever know.
> 
> Anyway, this fic is completely self-indulgent and if you give it a chance, I hope you love it as much as I've enjoyed pouring myself into it.
> 
> You can listen to the playlist I created for the fic [here.](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2ha7HWhjGEVLmYki1r6d2B?si=fhYgi1VsTbm1peNPiC53dQ)

**October 2018**

The cold air bites at Louis’ cheeks as he makes his way out of the Orange Line and down the steps. It’s the last week of October, but winter is trying to claw its way into fall, which Louis resents because fall is his favorite. Work was a disaster today and he’d like nothing more than to forget about it with a beer, or five. He tightens the scarf wrapped around his neck and weaves his way through the hordes of people exiting the station.

Only a few more blocks and he’ll be welcomed by the warmth of his favorite bar. The bright yellow neon sign that reads “Benny’s” comes to view and Louis can already feel his shoulders relax.

When he enters the establishment, he immediately catches sight of his roommate and best friend since college, Liam, and his boyfriend Zayn. Liam waves him over making Louis smile, relieved to see their familiar faces.

“You will not believe the day I’ve had,” Louis groans sitting on the booth across from them. There’s already a bottle of Corona in front of him and he could not be more thankful for his friends. “I love you,” he tells them before gulping as much of the beer as he can.

“Bad day?” Zayn inquires.

Louis sighs, “The worst.”

Louis is an architect working under Simon Cowell, one of the most sought after architects in the country. Simon has built a name for himself, and his work reflects his talent, yes. But he’s also let that success go up to his head, making him one of the most insufferable men Louis has ever worked for. The only reason Louis is still around is because the experience will really help build his portfolio, but as soon as the right opportunity comes his way he’s getting the hell out of there.

“Simon’s ideas all suck and he won’t listen to any other suggestions. Even when the client told him they didn’t like what he showed them.”

“Let me get you another round,” Liam offers before striding over to the bar.

“I’m sorry your day sucked,” Zayn sympathizes.

Louis finishes his beer and smacks his lips. “It is what it is. So how was your day?”

Zayn shrugs. “I got a paint handprint on my ass today. So pretty much the usual.”

They both laugh and Zayn goes on to tell Louis a funny story about what one of the kids in his classroom said to him today. Zayn might look all rough around the edges with the tattoos that decorate his arms and his signature leather jacket, but he’s truly one of the gentlest people he’s ever met. He’s a kindergarten teacher and Louis can’t picture him doing anything else, teaching is truly his calling.

Liam joins them with his hands full of beers for everyone.

“Lou, how was your date last night? We never heard back from you,” Liam asks as he plops next to Zayn, planting a kiss on his head before taking a sip of his beer.

Louis drops his head down to the wooden table. His forehead hits the table harder than he meant it to but there’s nothing he can do about it now. The date from hell had nearly vanished from his mind and then Liam had to go and bring it up.

“That bad, huh?”

Louis lifts his head to stare at his friends. “You know I thought it would be one of those stories I maybe get to tell my kids someday. That I met their father in the elevator I rode every morning and how it took me two weeks to gain the courage to finally ask him out. Blah blah blah, and we lived happily ever after. But in reality, what happened is the sweet guy from the elevator completely disappeared and instead I was stuck with this douchebag who couldn’t keep his eyes on me for two seconds before drooling after the next guy that crossed his path.”

“What the fuck?”

“I know. And then when I finally said something about it, he had the nerve to act annoyed. Like why the hell did you go on a date with me if you’re not even going to give me the courtesy of at least waiting until I leave to hit on other guys?” Louis is parched after his rant so he takes a swig of his beer. He hates getting worked up over a guy, but he’s getting tired of dealing with assholes both at work and his dating life.

Louis is in his mid-twenties and still not even close to finding the love of his life. He’s dated guy after guy and they’re either cheaters, liars, or not looking for anything serious. Louis has been ready to settle down since he graduated college. Of course, part of that is Liam and Zayn’s fault. They’re that rare pair that met the love of their life the first day of college when Zayn walked down the hall of the dorms, knocked on a random door to ask for help setting up his stereo and stumbled on Liam on the other side. Louis has always been secretly jealous of them and their love. Things always seem to come so effortlessly to them. Louis doesn’t even think they’ve ever had any serious arguments.

When is Louis going to find his person? The one that makes him want to do anything and everything for them no questions asked. The one he gets to love unconditionally, take care of when they’re sick, or just sit around with and do nothing but still feel like the luckiest guy in the world.

Louis knows that he still has his whole life ahead of him, but it’d be so much easier to navigate having a partner next to him for support when he needs it. Just seeing Liam and Zayn now, the way they’re staring at each other with so much love, like they’re the only people in the room. To some people it’s sickening, but to Louis that’s all he wants.

Instead, he’s stuck with men who can’t seem to stand to look at him for more than five seconds before they find someone else to be more interesting.

“You’re doing it again.” Zayn’s voice breaks him away from his thoughts.

Louis furrows his brows. “What?”

Zayn waves his hand around. “You’ve got that dreamy look on your face. You’re thinking about the future love of your life again, aren’t you?”

Zayn is staring at him like he’s daring Louis to lie so he could call him out on it. Liam and Zayn can read him like a book, making it hard for Louis to keep anything from them. Instead of trying to lie, he resigns himself and lets out a breath.

“I am.” Before the conversation can get any further, it’s interrupted by the missing member of their group.

“Let the party begin!”

They groan in unison watching Niall march toward their booth with a toothy grin and smug smile on his face. He might as well have a marching band behind him with the way Niall walks and talks, he’s his own one man parade.

Niall has a glass of what Louis is sure is scotch in his hand and he takes a swig of it before settling next to Louis. The weight of him makes him bounce on his seat in the booth.

“So what did I miss?” He raises his eyebrows as he looks between them, expecting a juicy tidbit.

“Louis had a bad day and his date last night was shit,” Liam summarizes.

Niall wraps his arm around Louis’ shoulder and kisses him on the cheek. “It’s okay Lou, there’s plenty of other fish in the sea. Why don’t we start here?” He looks at their surroundings. “What about that guy over there? The one with the red hair.” He points, not even caring if he gets noticed, and Louis wants to hide.

The guy is sort of cute in a nerdy way, but not really Louis’ type. “I don’t know Niall. I’m not really interested right now.” He’s lying, but he doesn’t want to leave his love life in the hands of Niall Horan.

Niall squeezes his shoulders. “That’s the attitude! Don’t settle, keep your options open.”

Louis snorts. “Sure.”

“If you’ll excuse me, blondie over there’s got my attention. Unlike you, Louis, I’m _very_ interested.” He jumps from the booth and ambles over to the poor girl who’s not going to know what hit her.

Once Niall is gone, it feels so much quieter without him.

“Well, I think I’m going to need something stronger. I’ll be right back,” Louis announces before getting out of the booth and heading to the bar.

Louis loves this bar because it’s never too crowded. When he gets to where the bartender is, there are a few people scattered about waiting to ask for their order. Louis thinks about what he wants to get. If he goes for tequila, he’ll have to deal with a headache in the morning while working for Simon Cowell. Whiskey will mellow him out and he won’t feel hungover the next day.

“What can I get you?” Rob, the bartender, asks.

“Get me a whiskey sour, please.” Louis says. Rob gets to work and while he waits, he looks around the bar while tapping his fingers on the wooden counter.

That’s when he sees him.

Everything moves in slow motion, like a movie or something, as Louis catches sight of a man with a face so striking, he can’t look away. He’s standing across the room with a group of people, but Louis only has eyes for him. He’s all soft features and pink lips. So pink, Louis can see them from where he stands. His hair is short and curly, strands swirling around his head as if he adjusted them one by one in front of the mirror. There’s a lilac scarf wrapped loosely around his neck and his tan peacoat is unbuttoned, giving Louis a glimpse of a pink shirt with white polka dots.

“Louis, your drink is ready,” Rob calls out, sounding as if it’s not the first time he tried getting his attention. Louis tips him generously for his trouble before trying to subtly find the guy across the room again. Finally Louis spots him again and, oh god, he has freaking dimples. There is a girl across from him he’s grinning at and he throws his head back in laughter when she says something to him. Louis would give anything to hear the sound of that laugh.

That’s when the guy sees Louis. Their eyes meet and time stops along with Louis’ heart.

Louis looks away but it’s stupid because he’s obviously been caught, and shit. He’s going to have to call it a night and run very far away. Maybe even find another bar in the area so he doesn’t risk running into him again looking like a stalker or something. Before Louis can freak out about anything else someone is tapping him on the shoulder.

Louis turns around slowly and holy shit. He stops breathing. Green. The man’s eyes are so green, like the most beautiful sea crystals you find at the beach right before you’re about to give up because you’ve looked high and low.

“Hi,” Green Eyes says. And wow. His voice is deep. Like so deep, Louis wants him whispering sweet nothings into his ear all day and night.

“Hello,” Louis finally manages to get out. It’s not his regular voice, it’s really breathy and high like he’s been caught doing something bad, like stealing cookies from the cookie jar.

Green Eyes grins and there’s that damn dimple again. That dimple is going to be the death of him, Louis already knows it. It caves into his cheek and he wonders if he can set up camp in there and never leave.

“I was going to ask if I can buy you a drink but I see that you already have one,” Green Eyes says.

Louis is going to die. He has an accent. Like a British accent. Fuck, fuck, fuck.

Louis clears his throat, determined to make his voice sound normal. He looks down at his glass, suddenly willing it to be empty. “Um yeah. Sorry. But I’d love a refill.” He chugs down the rest of it and sets the empty glass on the counter.

Green Eyes looks on amusedly. “Thirsty?”

Louis’ eyes widen, suddenly worried that he comes off as someone with a drinking problem, but Green Eyes seems more delighted than worried.

“Very much so.” Though Louis doesn’t tell him that it’s not alcohol he’s thirsting after.

Green Eyes waves Rob over and orders Louis another cocktail and a Strawberry Daiquiri for himself. Louis quirks an eyebrow and Green Eyes blushes.

“I’m Harry,” Green Eyes extends a hand.

“Louis,” he takes the hand and shakes it. His skin is so soft.

Having Harry at a much closer proximity lets Louis catch a whiff of his scent. It’s something flowery, like lavender or jasmine. Harry looks more like a lavender kind of guy though.

“It’s nice to meet you, Louis.” God his name sounds so good coming out of Harry’s lips. Louis idly wonders how his name sounds moaning out of him.

“Same to you. Are you here visiting the city or do you live here?” Louis needs to know if this is going to be temporary so he can prepare his heart to be broken, but he hopes and prays it’s the latter. If he ever believed in a God, he’d be praying to him right now.

Harry runs his fingers through his hair making his curls fluffier but in a sexy way.

“I just moved here actually. It’s my first night out in the big city. I came with some friends from work who wanted to show me around since I don’t know anyone else.” Harry looks down at his feet while he talks, but Louis wishes he’d meet his eyes.

“Ah, a newbie then. Welcome to Chicago. It’s the best and worst city in the world, you’ll love it,” Louis tells him.

Harry giggles, he fucking giggles, and it’s like music to Louis’ ears. He always wants to make him laugh, make him smile like this forever and always.

“Thank you, Louis. Are you from here?” Harry asks.

“I am actually. Born and raised. I live right upstairs with my roommates, Liam and Zayn.”

“Upstairs? Wow, that’s convenient. You can get absolutely pissed and not worry about having to drive home or summat.” Harry takes his cocktail, wrapping his lips around the red straw and sucking on it. His cheeks hollow, making them sharp. Louis nearly gasps at how absolutely obscene it looks.

Louis laughs, remembering what Harry said, and gulps down his drink to erase the dirty images in his head.

“Um, yeah it can be. Though not when I’m by myself because those stairs are a death trap when I’m wasted.”

Harry laughs and Louis can’t stop staring at his lips and how shiny and pink they are. His tongue is tinted red from the cocktail and Louis wants to taste him, see if he tastes like strawberries.

Before they can continue their conversation, one of Harry’s co-workers comes up to them.

“Hey Harry, we’re going to hit the club next. You ready to go?” Louis sees the way Harry’s smile fades a little and the hesitant look on his face when he meets Louis’ eyes. Like he wants to tell her to go on without him. He seems to think better of it and instead nods his head.

“Yeah. I’ll be ready in a minute, let me just finish my drink.” He raises his glass to show her. She agrees and goes back to their group of friends before Harry faces Louis again.

“Well, I better go. But before I do...I was wondering.” Harry takes another sip of his drink, like he might need it for what he’s about to ask. “Can I give you my number? I’d love to make friends that aren’t people I work with.”

Harry bites his bottom lip and stares at Louis, nervously waiting for a response.

Louis is nodding before Harry even finishes talking, fishing his iPhone out of his back pocket, unlocking it and handing it over to him. Harry grins, relief washing over him and he types out his number and saves it before giving it back to Louis.

Louis checks the screen and sees that Harry put a little cocktail emoji next to his name, similar to the one he’s finishing off right now.

“Well Louis, it’s nice to meet you. I look forward to hearing from you. If you don’t call me, I know where you live,” Harry winks.

Louis chuckles. “Enjoy the rest of your night, Harold.”

With that, Harry turns around and walks away. It gives Louis the opportunity to admire his ass in those tight skinny jeans he’s wearing that hugs his curves in all the right ways. Louis lets out a sigh as he watches him and his co-workers leave the bar. Harry looks over his shoulder, meets Louis’ gaze and waves at him.

If Louis never believed in love at first sight, he might be a believer now.

Louis orders a water before meeting back with his friends at the booth, both Liam and Zayn staring at him with knowing looks.

“What?” he asks as he settles in his seat. Niall is nowhere to be found and as Louis looks around for him, he notices that the girl he’d set his eyes on isn’t here either. Wow, he works fast.

“Who were you talking to just now?” Zayn asks.

Louis blushes because he can’t fucking help it. It’s what Harry has reduced him to. He looks down at his glass of water.

“I just met him. His name’s Harry and he’s new to the city. He’s got an accent and he’s so hot. God, I think I’m in love,” Louis tells them, meeting their gazes again.

“An accent? Where’s he from?” Liam asks.

Louis shrugs. “Not sure. Didn’t get around to asking him. He was here with some co-workers and they were heading out to a club so our conversation was cut short. But he gave me his phone number.” He stares at his phone, his mind taking him back to Harry and their brief encounter.

“Remember, you’ve got to wait at least three days to call him,” Liam says, as if he’s all knowing in all things dating.

Louis snorts. “Please, you haven’t been single since high school. Why should I be taking advice from you?”

Liam wraps his arm around Zayn as if he’s made his point just by doing that. Louis rolls his eyes.

“Seriously Louis, don’t call him right away. At least wait a full day. You don’t want to seem too needy or something,” Zayn tells him.

“Fine, I won’t contact him tonight,” he relents.

“Besides, he’s out with friends you said. You want to call him when he’s more available.”

“Where’s Niall?” Louis changes the subject because he’s done talking to Liam and Zayn like they’re his parents.

“He left with that girl he said he was going to talk to,” Liam says.

“Just as well, he probably would have told me to go home with Harry and have a fling with him.”

They all laugh and continue enjoying each other’s company until Liam announces he has court in the morning. Louis joins them, he’s almost completely sober but he isn’t as stressed as he was when he first arrived. He has no doubt that Harry had something to do with the improvement to his mood.

“Goodnight, Louis,” Zayn says when they enter the apartment.

It isn’t much. It’s still the first apartment they rented straight out of college. Louis was working as an intern and Liam was in law school so they couldn’t afford much. Zayn eventually moved in as well. He was mostly here every night so there was no point in him paying rent for an apartment all by himself. Louis likes having them around. In a way it’s like they’re still in college, right down the hall from each other. Louis would love to keep it that way as long as possible. At least until Zayn and Liam get married and get their own place. Liam has been talking about proposing to Zayn, lately now that he’s out of law school and he feels ready to take that next step with him.

Louis has accompanied Liam to several jewelry stores to help him pick out a ring. After looking at endless upon endless number of rings, Liam finally settled on one he knew Zayn would love. Now, Liam is just waiting for the perfect opportunity. Louis won’t be surprised if Zayn ends up proposing first.

“Goodnight, my loves. Please don’t have sex too loud. I’m scarred enough as it is.” They laugh and Liam flicks him off over his shoulder as they disappear into their bedroom, shutting the door behind them.

Louis’ bedroom is always an organized mess. Things are thrown all over the place but at least he knows where things are if he needs them. He throws on a pair of sweats, relieved to finally be out of the dreadful suit he wears every day. When Louis runs his own firm, he’s going to wear jeans and a t-shirt, he doesn’t care.

He grabs a glass of water from the kitchen, the effects of the alcohol still prominent in his system. Louis considers watching some TV in the living room but then he thinks he hears a moan coming out of Liam and Zayn’s room so he thinks better of it. Instead, he gets his iPad to catch something Netflix until he falls asleep.

Friends is his go to show before bed and he stays awake for a couple of episodes. Louis’ phone sits next to him, and he can’t help but glance at it from time to time. It’s not like Harry is going to call or text him since he never got his number. Damn, he should have given Harry his number. He almost wants to forget what Liam and Zayn said about waiting. One text isn’t going to hurt, right? Something like “it was nice to meet you today, hope you’re enjoying the rest of your night.” 

That isn’t needy, it’s friendly.

Louis picks up his phone, unlocks it and hovers over Harry’s contact to do just that, but then he hears Zayn’s voice warning him not to. Groaning, he puts the phone on the side table out of reach. Liam and Zayn might be wrong, but maybe he should do things differently this time. It’s obvious the way Louis normally does things only seems to be attracting losers, and Harry is far from a loser. He’s a genuinely nice person. At least from the brief conversation they had.

It’s settled then. Louis won’t call or text Harry until tomorrow after work. That’s reasonable and not at all needy. With that, Louis lays his head on his pillow and continues letting Friends play as background noise, trying to actively not think about Harry.

Work keeps Louis busy all day. He barely even has time to eat lunch, too preoccupied trying to finish up a project he has to turn in before the end of the day. It isn’t until he’s been home for a couple of hours going through his pre bedtime routine that he realizes it.

He forgot to contact Harry.

“Shit!” Louis runs from the bathroom, with his toothbrush still hanging from his mouth, into his bedroom to grab his phone. He opens the text message app and finds Harry’s contact.

What should he say? It’s not like Harry knows that Louis was going to text him today so he doesn’t have to apologize, does he? Unless Harry has been waiting to hear from Louis since the moment he gave him his number. He’s overthinking things again, like always. So, he throws caution to the wind along with all his stress inducing thoughts and begins to type.

 **Louis:** Hello Harold, I hope this is the right number and I didn’t get one of those rejection hotline numbers.

 **Louis:** It’s Louis from last night, by the way.

 **Louis:** We met at Benny’s…

Okay so maybe he should have thought about what he was going to say more thoroughly because now he sounds like a blubbering idiot. God. Louis drops his phone on the bed and goes back to the bathroom to rinse his mouth.

When Louis returns, he’s got a few text messages waiting for him.

 **Harry:** Hello Louis, you’ve got the right number. Why would I do such a thing? I almost thought I was the one being rejected since I hadn’t heard from you. Of course I know who you are ;)

The grin on Louis’ face appears instantly.

 **Louis:** Sorry I took so long to contact you. Work has been insane. How was the rest of your night exploring the city?

The second Louis hits send, he’s getting a phone call from Harry. Louis’ heart races as he slides the button over to answer it.

“Hello?”

“Hey, Louis. I hope you don’t mind that I called.”

“Not at all. You’re welcome to call any time you want,” Louis assures him.

Harry laughs. “Thanks. So yeah, the night was good. Ended up at some club named Transit, I think? Most of my friends ended up ditching me though because they found people to dance with. I wasn’t in the mood for that so I hung out by the bar mostly. Ended up calling it an early night.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.”

Harry sighs on the other line. “It’s okay. It was a good first night to sort of dip my toes into the city life. I didn’t want to overdo it.”

Harry’s voice is deeper than he remembers and it’s making heat travel through his body. He tries to focus and not let his mind wander into filthy territory.

“I’ll have to show you around sometime. Show you all the must-see places,” Louis offers.

“Oh, would you? I’d love that. I want to know what your favourite places are,” Harry says. Louis can hear the smile in his voice and it makes him blush even though Harry can’t see him.

This is Louis’ opportunity. He clears his throat before he works up the courage to say what he wants to say.

“How about we make a date out of it?” Louis asks, his voice coming out a little high, but hopefully Harry doesn’t notice.

“I’d love that.” Harry doesn’t hesitate to answer.

“Yeah?”

“Yes. When do you want to go?” Harry sounds eager, which gives Louis the confidence he needs.

“What’s your schedule like? I’m off weekends unless I’m nearing a big deadline,” Louis says.

“Hmm. Yeah I’m off weekends too,” Harry tells him.

“Okay, then how does this weekend sound? Or is that too soon for you?”

“This weekend is perfect actually.”

Louis smiles. “Great. How about we meet at the Roosevelt train station and we can take the L downtown to begin our Chicago adventure?”

“I can’t wait, Louis. It gives me something to look forward to the rest of the week.”

There goes Louis blushing again. “Me too. I’ll make sure to make it worth your while.” He doesn’t mean to sound it as suggestive as it sounds, but there’s nothing he can do about it now.

Harry giggles, it’s breathy and light and it gives Louis life making sounds like this come out of him.

“I look forward to it,” Harry rasps.

Louis is so gone for this man already.

  


Louis is unable to focus the rest of the week. At work, he’s pretty useless. He spends an embarrassing amount of time surfing the internet trying to settle on what places to take Harry. They won’t be able to hit all the places Louis loves, but he does want to show Harry the best time. A better time than the one he had with his co-workers the other night.

When Saturday comes, Louis is buzzing with anticipation. They’d agreed to meet in the early afternoon since Louis has a few places he wants to show him. It takes him longer than he’d like to admit to settle on an outfit. Thankfully Liam and Zayn aren’t around to tease him because that’s the last thing he needs right now. He takes one last look in the mirror, happy with what he sees. Black skinny jeans and a red scooped neck sweater with his favorite pair of Vans. 

It’s the first week of November and they’ve already had their first snow. Louis hopes the weather is kind to them today.

With one last glance at his hair in the mirror, Louis grabs his wallet and keys and is out the door. The train isn’t too crowded for a Saturday afternoon and it only takes him two stops to arrive at Roosevelt station.

When Louis gets off the train, he doesn’t see any sign of Harry. He checks the time and realizes he’s arrived a couple of minutes early, so he tries not to worry just yet. There aren’t any awaiting texts from Harry saying he’s running late or anything, so Louis finds a spot near the heaters and waits for his date to arrive.

There’s an announcement over the intercom that a train is arriving and Louis’ heartbeat accelerates, hoping Harry is on it. The train stops and the doors open with a rush of people stepping out and others going in. Among the sea of people a head of curly hair and the familiar lilac scarf come to view. Louis stands, waving at Harry who sees him.

“Hey,” Harry breathes, flashing his gorgeous dimples for everyone to see. He’s more beautiful than Louis remembers. Maybe it’s the lighting or Harry just gets hotter every day. Whatever the case may be, Louis can’t believe he gets to be on a date with this man in one of the best cities in the world, his city.

“Hello. You look great,” Louis tells him. His eyes rake down Harry’s body, he’s wearing jeans, chelsea boots, and the same peacoat he was wearing at Benny’s. 

Harry blushes. “Thanks. So do you.” He isn’t subtle about the way he looks him up and down then bites his lip.

Louis swallows hard. He clears his throat. “Well, are you ready to go?”

Harry nods and they wait a few minutes for the next train to arrive to take them downtown. When they get in and settle in their seat next to each other, Harry gazes at him.

“So where are you taking me then?”

There’s a sparkle in his eyes, he looks genuinely excited for the day they have ahead of them and it gives Louis confidence in what he’s got planned.

Louis smirks. “You’ll have to wait and see, Harold. All in good time.”

Harry pouts, and it almost makes Louis want to give in and tell him but he resists. 

“Good things come to those who wait,” Louis winks.

As they approach downtown, Harry pulls out his phone and takes pictures of the buildings that make up part of the famous Chicago skyline. Louis looks on fondly, finding it adorable how touristy Harry looks right now. Louis sometimes enjoys acting like a tourist himself, taking in the city that he so often takes for granted. It’s refreshing seeing how outsiders react.

They get off on the Randolph and Wabash exit, and for a moment Louis loses sight of Harry in the crowd. When they climb down the steps, Louis waits for him and holds out his hand.

“Can’t keep losing you in such a big city,” he says. Harry looks down at Louis’ hand and smiles, wrapping his own around it.

Despite the cold weather, Harry’s hand is warm and it completely engulfs his. It’s comfortable, right. Like they were always meant to hold hands. 

Louis walks them down the busy street until Millenium Park comes into view, the shiny, silver bean sculpture appearing in their line of sight. 

“Oooh, Cloud Gate! I’ve always wanted to come here,” Harry marvels as they get closer.

Louis furrows his brows. “Cloud Gate? Oh, you silly tourist. It’s called The Bean.”

Harry snorts. He pulls Louis along as he accelerates his steps. “Come on, I want to take pictures.”

Louis chuckles, but follows Harry, their hands still attached.

Harry’s got a digital camera and he’s taking pictures of all the sculptures around the park.

“In the summer, those towers shoot out water,” Louis explains as they walk through a specific section of the park.

There’s hordes of people by the most famous statue of the park, but they’re able to find a spot where Harry can take pictures. At one point he pulls Louis in and insists they take pictures of their reflection like every other tourist around them.

“These turned out great,” Harry says as he scrolls through the pictures he’s taken.

Louis glances at the images and can’t help but think they look stunning as a couple. He doesn’t want to get ahead of himself, but he also hasn’t felt like this about someone in ages. 

Things feel so right, Louis is afraid to be wrong.

“Where to next?” Harry’s voice brings Louis back to the present. He’s staring at Louis with bright eyes and a smile that could bring any man to his knees.

“How do you feel about ice skating?” Louis asks, doubt creeping into his tone. He really hopes Harry is up for it, but he’ll understand if he’s not.

Harry’s face splits into a grin. “I love ice skating!”

“Let’s go then,” Louis says. Before he reaches for Harry’s hand, Harry’s already wrapping it around Louis,’ making his cheeks heat up.

They walk over to the skating rink at Millenium Park and rent some skates before sitting on an empty bench to put them on.

“How good are you at skating, on a scale from 1 to 10?” Louis asks Harry once he’s done tying up the laces of his skates.

Harry’s eyes drift off in thought and shrugs. “I’d say about a 7 or 8?”

Louis nods. “I don’t mean to brag but I’m probably a 10. I hope you can keep up with me,” he teases.

Harry finishes tying up his laces and slaps his hands on his thighs. “Alright then, let’s see what you’ve got.”

They wobble over to the ice and Louis walks behind Harry just in case he needs help keeping his balance. He seems to be doing fine so far. They glide onto the ice, Louis doing so without much effort. Harry, on the other hand, is waving his hands around trying to keep his balance skating next to Louis.

Louis wants to offer his hand, but Harry seems lost in concentration staring down at his feet before whipping his head up to make sure he doesn’t crash into anyone. He watches as he continues to skate next to him, hoping he doesn’t fall.

Once Harry seems to have finally gotten the hang of it, he looks over to Louis with a proud smile before extending his hand. Louis takes it, and Harry tightens his hold.

They skate hand in hand, the cold breeze hitting them in the face as they do. Louis can see Harry’s cheeks starting to pinken from the chill and his hair is mussed up. He looks freaking adorable.

The longer they spend on the ice, the more people begin to trickle in. Pretty soon there’s less room to skate on. 

Louis turns towards Harry but before he can ask if he’s ready to head out, there’s someone yelling “watch out!” before a body crashes into him, knocking him on his back. Louis gets the air knocked out of him in the process and he groans in pain as soon as he hits the cold ice. He rubs the back of his head, wrinkling his eyebrows trying to figure out what just happened.

“Louis, oh my God! Are you okay?” Harry rushes over to kneel next to him, his hand coming to touch his head gently. His eyes travel down body, looking for any visible injuries.

It takes a moment for Louis to gain his bearings and learn to formulate words. 

“I think so. Just sore,” he says.

“Come on, I’ll help you up.” Harry stands, bending to help Louis to his feet by grabbing him by his biceps. He must be a lot stronger than he looks because Louis could swear he didn’t even put any effort into standing up.

Harry brushes some of the ice from Louis’ coat, his eyes still worried and boring into Louis.

“Let’s go find somewhere warm,” Harry suggests, holding Louis’ hand and tugging him along without another word.

Louis goes with it, still a bit out of it. He doesn’t even know what happened to the other person that ran into him. They must not have been too hurt if they used Louis as a cushion.

Louis isn’t mad though, not with all the attention Harry is giving him, checking on him every few minutes, still unsure about his state.

They end up at a cafe not far from the park where they’re able to find a booth in the far back that will give them a good amount of privacy. They order hot drinks: Louis goes for a hot chocolate with extra marshmallows and Harry gets a tea.

“Are you sure you’re alright?” Harry asks once the waiter brings their beverages.

Louis takes a sip of his hot chocolate, it’s the perfect temperature and instantly warms him up.

“Right now I’m okay. I’m sure tomorrow my back will be a mess,” Louis tells him.

Harry cringes. “If it is, I can come over and give you a massage. I took a class.”

Louis, in spite of the pain radiating off his body, manages to quirk his eyebrow.

“Well, Harold. I usually let a man wine and dine me first.”

The worry melts from Harry’s face as he brightens up, grinning and flashing his dimples.

“The day isn’t over yet,” he winks in response.

Louis’ mouth goes dry despite the warm liquid he’s been drinking. He knows he started it, but now he can’t get certain images out of his mind. He clears his throat and goes to change the subject.

“So, how long have you been in Chicago?”

Harry smirks, as if knowing what Louis just did, but he doesn’t say anything about it. Instead, he takes a sip of his tea, runs his tongue along the top of his lip before responding.

“It will be a month next week.”

“Oh wow. What made you make such a big move?”

Harry bites his bottom lip, his eyes looking down at the mug in his hands. He shrugs. 

“A series of things, really. Time for a change, wanting to travel, not being able to find anything back home. I was offered an amazing opportunity here that I couldn’t refuse.” Harry explains.

“What do you do for work?”

“I’m a reporter for channel 7. I basically do the stories no one else wants to do. Like when someone’s trying to build the world’s biggest pizza, or a dog that can do maths.” 

Louis chuckles. “That sounds like a lot of fun, actually. I’m kind of jealous.”

Harry blushes. “It’s not much right now, but there’s room to advance and that’s what I’m aiming for. What about you then? Are you a model or something?”

Louis throws his head back in laughter. “Harold, please.”

Harry joins him, but then he stops and smiles. “I was being serious. That’s actually what I thought when I first saw you.”

Now it’s Louis’ turn to blush. “Well, I’m not a model if you must know. I’m actually an architect.”

Harry raises his eyebrows. “An architect? That’s amazing. Have you designed anything I’ve seen?”

Louis snorts. “No. I’m currently working under Simon Cowell. He’s this really famous architect. I’m one of his little minions. I haven’t had the opportunity to design my own building yet.”

They continue talking, trading stories and getting to know each other, and there isn’t one thing that Louis learns about Harry that he doesn’t like.

“You know, I had plans for us to have dinner. Have you tried Chicago’s famous deep dish pizza?” 

Harry dimples, by now they’re long done with their beverages and have filled themselves with pastries.

“I haven’t. One of my co-workers was telling me I need to try Gino’s East, claims it’s the best.”

Louis holds his hands up, “Let me stop you right there and tell you that your co-worker is wrong, Harold. Giordano’s is where it’s at and you shouldn’t waste your time on people who tell you otherwise.”

A giggle bursts out of Harry and Louis wants to keep getting these reactions out of him.

“Well, we’ll have to go on another date where you show me the best pizza places in the city,” Harry says after he’s calmed down. He gazes at Louis with a sparkle in his eye, his chin resting on his hands, head tilted. From here, Louis can get a good view of the expanse of his neck and all he wants to do is put his mouth on it.

Louis licks his lips, shaking himself out of his stupor. “I’m definitely down for that.”

Harry and Louis walk around downtown admiring the Christmas displays the shops in the city have decorated.

“There’s a parade every year, it’s kind of a big deal. People come downtown to watch Mickey Mouse ride a float down Michigan Avenue using his magic wand to light up all the Christmas decorations,” Louis explains.

“Really? I would love to go to that,” Harry says like a kid on Christmas morning.

Louis has taken his younger siblings on several occasions. To him it’s the sort of thing that has become something ordinary, but seeing the way Harry’s eyes light up with every detail Louis tells him— it makes him want to take him just to watch his reactions.

“I’d be happy to take you if you don’t mind my company,” Louis offers. He doesn’t want to be presumptuous and assume Harry wants to see him again after this, but at this point there’s no turning back and he’ll deal with the rejection if it comes.

“I’d love nothing more,” Harry murmurs, his cheeks pinkening up as he gazes at Louis with a soft smile that makes all his insides turn to mush.

When they get tired of walking around, they take the L toward Harry’s apartment. Louis insists he walk Harry all the way to his apartment like a true gentleman. Harry relents and loops his arm through Louis.’

“You actually don’t live far from me,” Louis points out.

“I don’t. It was only a matter of time before we crossed paths,” Harry says.

Louis smiles at that, thinking it must be fate. They get to Harry’s apartment, an older red brick two story building.

“So this is me,” Harry mutters. “Thank you for walking me. I had a lovely time.”

Harry stares at Louis meaningfully, his lashes fluttering and his body coming closer to him. Louis isn’t sure if it’s intentional or if Harry is expecting a kiss.

“It was my pleasure. I’ll call you so we can set up another date,” Louis tells him. His body feels drawn to Harry’s but he’s resisting getting any closer right now. As much as he wants to kiss Harry more than anything, he should probably take things slow. Harry is making it nearly impossible though.

Harry’s eyes drop down to Louis’ lips before meeting his eyes. Louis doesn’t want the evening to end. A part of him wishes Harry will invite him over for a night cap so they can continue getting to know each other, but the rational part of him is insisting that the date’s been near perfect and he shouldn’t ruin it by going overboard.

Louis opens his arms which Harry easily goes into. He can feel Harry’s warm breath on his neck and Louis closes his eyes taking it in.

“Goodnight.”

When they pull apart, Louis doesn’t miss the hint of disappointment in Harry’s face which disappears as soon as he dimples.

“Goodnight, Louis.” With one last look, Harry turns to climb the steps of his building, glimpsing over his shoulder before disappearing inside.

Louis stares after Harry goes inside, grinning like some lovesick idiot. It sounds crazy, he knows, but he can’t help but start to picture what his future would look like with Harry in it. 

Louis goes back to the train station, his apartment only being two stops away, floating on a cloud the entire way home. If he could control time, he’d fast forward to his next date with Harry because the thought of waiting seems unbearable.

His cell phone buzzes in his pocket just as he’s about to get off the train.

 **Harry:** Let me know when you get home safe xx

The train doors part open and Louis steps out of them as he continues to stare at the screen before typing a quick affirmative and continuing his way to the apartment.

Just as he’s rounding the corner on their street, Louis gets another text from Liam.

 **Liam:** Come to Benny’s after your date

Louis enters the bar, spotting his roomates and Niall already in their usual booth. They’ve all got champagne flutes and when Liam spots Louis, he lights up.

“Louis you’re here! Now we can toast,” Liam announces.

“It’s about time,” Niall grumbles.

“What’s all this then?” Louis asks as Zayn hands him a glass full of champagne.

Liam and Zayn glance at each other before exclaiming in unison, “We’re engaged!”

Zayn raises his hand, showing off the ring Louis helped Liam pick out for him. He might have already known the engagement was eminent, but he had no idea Liam was going to do it tonight. As far as he knew, Liam was still waiting for the right moment. 

“That’s amazing you guys!” Louis jumps to hug his best friends, nearly spilling the champagne. 

They toast and drink while Zayn tells them how Liam proposed. 

“I was making dinner, with my back to Liam and when I turned to ask him if he wanted mashed potatoes, he’s down on one knee. I dropped the plate I had in my hand,” Zayn explains.

“We were having a very domestic moment, I couldn’t help it,” Liam shrugs.

“I still think you guys are too young to be getting married, but I wish you nothing but happiness,” Niall says. He’s never been a fan of commitment, thinks marriage is just a way for the government to keep tabs on someone.

They toast to the happy couple, and before long the champagne bottle is empty. Zayn turns to Louis, saying, “Well enough about us, how was your date, Louis?” 

Louis blushes, unable to help it. He blames the alcohol, though he’s not even buzzed yet.

“It was really good,” he says before taking another sip of his drink.

Zayn puts his hand on the table. “That’s it? Good? Is he not what you expected or something?”

Not at all, Louis wants to say. In fact, he sees himself and Harry having the kind of future Louis has always dreamed of. He doesn’t want to sound like a lunatic though, and he’s not in the mood for his friends’ teasing either.

Instead, Louis shrugs. “I took him ice skating and fell on my ass, but he was so nice about it. Then we went to a cafe nearby and talked. We talked about going on another date, so we’ll see where it goes.”

Zayn stares at him, his eyes narrowed almost to slits. He isn’t buying Louis’ attempt at being nonchalant about it, but thankfully he doesn’t call him out.

“That’s great. When do we get to meet him?” Liam pipes up.

Louis shakes his head. “Oh no. I won’t bring him around you guys until at least the fifth date. Don’t want to run him off with your 21 questions.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” Zayn asks, offended.

“What I mean is that you and Liam like to act like my parents and put the people I’m dating through the wringer. You asked Kyle that one time to give you a copy of his driver's licence. I never heard from him again after that.” Louis points an accusing finger towards the couple.

Liam and Zayn exchange a look. “In our defense, Kyle looked like one of my student’s parents, a _married_ father. I just wanted to make sure they weren’t the same person.”

“Whatever. Harry isn’t coming anywhere near you until I’ve made sure to warn him how invasive my best friends are,” Louis tells them.

“That’s a good call, Louis. You don’t want to ruin your chances of getting laid by letting these two question your date to death,” Niall interjects, rolling his eyes. By now he’s abandoned the champagne and moved on to a glass of scotch. 

Louis jumps, remembering he forgot to text Harry when he’d arrived. Sure enough, he unlocks his phone to see a couple of worried texts from Harry.

 **Harry:** Did you get home okay?

 **Harry:** I’m really starting to worry, Lou.

 **Harry:** I’m about five minutes from leaving my place to make sure you’re alright.

Thankfully the last text was just sent, so Louis is able to prevent Harry from having to come over at this hour. Though, it’s really sweet that Harry cares about his well being.

 **Louis:** So sorry! Got sidetracked, my best friends got engaged and I ended up at Benny’s instead of heading home. Didn’t mean to worry you. You can call off the search party :)

The grey bubbles appear as soon as Louis hits send and he ignores the warmth in his belly, knowing Harry had been by his phone for his response.

 **Harry:** Aww that’s wonderful! Tell them congratulations for me. You’ll have to tell me all about it on our next date ;)

Louis grins like an idiot.

 **Louis:** You got it, Curly 

“Oh God, look at you. You’re already a lost cause!” Niall groans. He downs the rest of his drink and places the glass on the table. “I’m gonna go talk to that lovely lady over there because you guys are making me sick!”

Louis shakes his head. “Like he needs an excuse to go talk to women.”

They watch Niall confidently walk over to the raven-haired woman with caramel skin. 

“I’ve got to hand it to him, he does have great taste,” Zayn says. He’s the only one from the table who is also attracted to women. Liam had been his exception.

And just like that, Niall finds someone for the night.


	2. Chapter 2

**November 2018**

Harry and Louis see each other again the following weekend, and the weekend after that. It turns into a habit, on Saturdays Louis’ plans revolve around Harry. Louis takes him to Giordano’s as promised, and thankfully Harry loves the pizza just as much as he does. That might have been a deal breaker for Louis, but now Harry will never have to know.

Louis takes Harry to Navy Pier to see the Christmas extravaganza they’ve got going on over there. Harry is like a kid in a candy store, his eyes lighting up at everything they come across. It makes it distracting for Louis as he can’t keep his eyes from Harry especially when the dimples are out and deeper than ever. Louis tells Harry about Liam and Zayn’s engagement. In fact, he tells Harry everything there is to know about his best friends. By their third date, Harry’s learned Louis’ history with his friends and he’s always more than happy to hear all about them.

It’s at the end of that third date, as Louis is walking Harry to his apartment after an evening out watching A Star is Born that it happens. They stop in front of Harry’s building like they have after previous dates. This time they’re holding hands, because they got to that point today while they were watching the movie. It got emotional pretty quickly and Harry reached out for Louis’ hand for comfort, which he was more than happy to oblige. Harry’s hand is soft and warm and they’ve not let go of each other all night. They gaze at each other like two teenagers at the prom, Harry grinning from ear to ear and Louis blushing like mad.

“I really enjoyed tonight. As always, you were great company,” Harry begins their end of the date speech.

Louis swings their clasped hands lightly, looking at the way they seem to fit together perfectly. Before he can begin overthinking things to death like he always does, Louis pulls Harry into him making it effortless to capture Harry’s lips. Harry sputters a little, not having expected Louis’ move, but recovers quickly and returns the kiss. Harry’s lips are like velvet, and he tastes like the strawberry Twizzlers he’d been eating in the theater. Louis’ hand comes up to cradle Harry’s cheek so he can get better control of their mouths. Louis licks against the seam of Harry’s lips and he opens them without hesitation.

When Louis begins to feel out of breath, he reluctantly pulls away. Harry’s lips are wet and pink and he blinks slowly. His fingers reach up to his lips and he smiles. 

“Goodnight, Louis.”

Louis leans in to place a gentle peck on Harry’s lips, needing to get one last taste before heading home. He tucks a loose strand of hair behind Harry’s ear and returns the smile.

“Goodnight, Curly.”

They end up at Harry’s apartment more often than not, usually ordering takeout and binge watching TV shows. Harry gets Louis into Queer Eye where they both end up teary eyed during every episode. They talk on the phone nearly every night, Harry wanting to know all about Louis’ day. Louis also wants to know everything about Harry that he’ll allow.

Zayn and Liam keep asking when they’ll get to meet Harry and Louis keeps holding off. He and Harry are in their own little bubble when they’re together and he doesn’t know if he’s ready for it to pop and let his friends in just yet. Harry always asks about them, though also wanting to know how they’re doing and if Zayn and Liam have begun any wedding preparations.

“Liam asked me to be his best man and I promised not to get any strippers, though Niall refused to agree to such a thing,” Louis tells Harry one night as they’re cuddling on Harry’s couch while watching One Day at a Time. Harry chuckles and it prompts him to tell Louis about the time his best friend got him a stripper for his 19th birthday when he had no idea Harry was gay.

“It was so embarrassing. I wasn’t ready at the time to come out, but I also didn’t want to pretend like I was enjoying it,” Harry tells him through giggles. “Needless to say, I ended up telling him and he was very supportive. In fact, he got me a male stripper for my 20th.”

Louis’ phone buzzes on the coffee table, and as much as he hates it he untangles himself from Harry’s arms to get it. He’s received a text from Liam letting him know that the wedding date has been set in the spring because their dream venue had a cancellation and they had to take it. 

“What is it?” 

Louis shakes his head. “Nothing. Liam just letting me know the wedding’s been set for April. They were just whining about how their dream venue didn’t have any openings until next year, but there was a cancellation.”

“That leaves them with what? About five months to plan a wedding?” Harry asks. “Shit, they’re going to go mad.”

Louis chuckles. “And they’re going to bring me down with them. I might not get to see you as often. If I know Liam and Zayn well enough, they’re going to have me stuffing invitations, tasting cakes, and checking out bands for the reception.”

Harry doesn’t say anything, and when Louis glances at him he notices that his smile is gone and he’s staring idly at the TV.

“Are you okay?”

Harry’s gaze trails up to meet his. He bites his lip and sighs. “I know we’ve only known each other for a few weeks, and I’ve loved every moment we’ve spent together. I feel like I know Liam, Zayn and Niall just by the stories you tell me about them. But I can’t help but wonder if you might be embarrassed to introduce me to them or something?”

Guilt washes over Louis. He’d been so engrossed in his bubble with Harry and ignoring his friends’ requests to meet him that he’d completely disregarded how Harry might feel about it. 

“Shit, I’m so sorry, H. I didn’t think about it that way at all.” He reaches for Harry’s hands, squeezing them gently in his. “The boys have been dying to meet you, actually.”

“Then why haven’t you brought it up? You tell me all these stories about them and how you guys spend so much time at Benny’s. I’ve been tempted to show up at Benny’s just to pretend to bump into you guys, but I also don’t want to come off as a stalker or something.”

Louis snorts. “You wouldn't be a stalker, babe. I was just being selfish and keeping you to myself. And to be honest, I’ve been trying to protect you from Liam and Zayn’s inevitable questioning.”

Harry laughs. “As much as I appreciate you looking out for me, I can hold my own, you know?”

Louis leans in to kiss Harry on the forehead. “Yes, and I’m sorry. I’ll talk to the guys and set something up. Come prepared with a copy of your ID and a DNA sample,” he jokes.

After they settle down, Louis stares at Harry. He’s smiling to himself as they continue to enjoy the show. 

“Really though. They’re going to love you. Soon I’ll have to fight them for your attention,” Louis says.

Harry leans his head against Louis’ shoulder. “You’ll never have to worry about that.”

  
  
  


“Stop fidgeting!” Zayn catches Louis’ hand that’s been relentlessly tapping on the wooden table of their usual spot at Benny’s. He hasn’t been able to stop staring at the bar’s entrance, watching every person that comes inside.

“I can’t help it Zayn, I’m so nervous,” Louis admits.

“Don’t worry, I’m sure we’ll like him. From what you’ve told us he seems lovely,” Liam assures him.

Niall arrives with the first round, handing Louis his beer. Louis takes it and downs the drink hoping it will calm his nerves.

“I don’t know why you’re so nervous. You guys haven’t even fucked yet,” Niall pipes in taking a sip of his scotch.

Louis rolls his eyes. “I haven’t slept with him because we’re taking things slow. Things are different with Harry. I don’t want to fuck anything up.”

Whatever else Louis was going to say dies in his throat because his eyes land on Harry walking through the door looking the most gorgeous he’s ever seen him. He’s got the tightest black skinny jeans he’s seen on a man, and black leather boots. As Louis takes in his appearance, his mouth starts to water as he notices that he’s wearing a baby blue button down shirt with the top three buttons undone giving everyone a glimpse of the tattoos Louis has yet to explore with his mouth.

When Harry spots them, he lights up, waving at Louis. Louis moves out of the booth to greet him. He kisses Harry on the cheek.

“Glad you’re here. Come on, the guys are dying to meet you,” Louis helps Harry with his coat, setting it on one of the hooks provided before dragging him over to their table.

The boys are already staring at them with knowing smiles on their faces, no doubt having witnessed their interaction, but Louis doesn’t bring any attention to it.

“Guys, this is Harry. Harry, this is Liam, Zayn and Niall. Don’t believe anything they tell you,” he warns Harry before they settle into the booth. Louis hands Harry a drink.

If Harry’s nervous, he doesn’t show it one bit.

“It’s nice to finally meet you all. Louis has told me so much about you, I feel like I already know you guys.” Harry tells them.

“Oh really? What did he say about me?” Niall asks quirking his brow.

Harry takes a swig of his cocktail and Louis can’t help notice the way his throat bobs as he swallows. They fall into seamless conversation where Harry tells Louis’ friends where he’s from, where he works, and how he ended up in Chicago. The boys hang on to his every word, seeming interested in what he has to say and Louis can’t help but look on with a proud smile on his face. Harry brings on the charm and Louis knows he’s already got his best friends wrapped around his finger. Louis wonders if there’s anyone who doesn’t fall for him.

“Let me get the next round,” Harry offers when he notices they’ve all got empty glasses. 

Louis takes this as his opportunity to see what his friends really think. “So?”

Niall, Liam and Zayn look at each other before facing Louis with smiles. “We love him. In fact we love him so much, that if things don’t work out with you two, we might consider kicking you out of the group just so we can keep Harry,” Niall tells him.

Louis pouts. “Hey!”

Niall pats Louis on the shoulder. “Just being honest, buddy. But really, he’s so great, I might resent you for keeping him away from us for this long.”

“Really, Louis. He’s so easy going and down to earth. He’ll fit right into our little group,” Zayn tells him.

Louis’ heart warms at the way his friends have welcomed Harry with open arms.

Harry returns with everyone's drinks.

“Hey Zayn, Louis told me you like fine art. I have tickets to Audubon’s Birds of America exhibit at the Field Museum if you’d like to join me? I know it’s not really Louis’ thing and I’d rather have a fellow art nerd join me, anyway,” Harry says.

Zayn’s face lights up, he and Louis exchange looks before he’s nodding giddily. “Oh my God, I’d love to. I wanted to check it out before it was gone.”

Harry and Zayn continue discussing art while Louis and Liam start talking about the Chicago Bears and how they’re already starting to do better this season than last. Niall disappears somewhere during both conversations and they don’t notice it until Harry comes back from the bathroom.

“Where did Niall go?” Louis asks.

“I just passed by him, he’s caught up entertaining a group of ladies who are here for a bachelorette party or something,” Harry informs them, settling back into the booth next to Louis.

“Of course he is.”

Harry’s phone goes off and he excuses himself to go outside and answer it. He returns with a disappointed look on his face.

“I just got called in for work. One of the reporters called in sick and they need someone to fill in for them. I’m sorry I have to cut our night short,” Harry pouts and Louis wants to kiss it away.

“It’s okay, work is important. We’ll just have to hang out again soon,” Liam tells him.

Harry grins, nodding. “I’d love that.”

Louis gets Harry’s coat and helps him into it. “It was so good to meet you all.” He hugs Liam and Zayn and even tracks Niall down to say goodbye. Louis walks Harry outside to send him off.

“You were great in there. I think they like you more than me now,” Louis tells him.

Harry leans in to kiss him on the lips. “Thank you for introducing me. I can see why you love them so much.”

Louis returns the kiss. “Call me later?”

Harry nods before turning away and hailing a cab. When he goes back inside, Liam and Zayn are watching as Niall juggles some apples Louis isn’t quite sure how he managed to obtain.

“We should get him a clown outfit and rent him out at birthday parties.”

When things at the bar calm down and Niall leaves with one of the bridesmaids, Louis stares and Liam and Zayn.

They look back, waiting to hear what Louis is going to say, they’ve always been able to read him so well.

“Would it be crazy to say that I think I’m falling in love with Harry? It would, right? It hasn’t even been a month.” 

“Don’t beat yourself up about that, Louis.” Zayn holds his hand. “Sometimes, love comes that easily. It doesn’t happen often, but it does happen.”

“Yeah,” Liam agrees. “I fell for Zayn within the first week we met.”

“I know,” Louis says. “You were insufferable about it. Still are actually.”

“The point is, don’t reject your feelings. Embrace them. It doesn’t necessarily mean you have to confess your love to Harry anytime soon. Just be aware of it and continue nurturing it. Things will continue falling into place if they’re meant to be, ” Zayn explains.

It’s a scary thought, loving someone this early, but Zayn and Liam have been together and in love for years. They might be onto something. 

  
  


The following week is Thanksgiving so work is pretty dead Monday through Wednesday with so many people taking off to see their families. Louis considers inviting Harry over to his family’s since he doesn’t have anyone here, but thinks better of it. He may be falling for him, but even he knows when it might be too soon to meet the family. Besides, the guys all decide to have their own Friendsgiving celebration the following weekend which will also kick off the Christmas season for them.

“It’s our annual Secret Santa Exchange,” Niall announces to the guys, including Harry, when they’re at Benny’s. “Harry, you don’t have to participate but you’re more than welcome to if you’d like.”

Louis glances at Harry nervously, curious to see his reaction. Harry’s swirling the straw in his strawberry daiquiri displaying his beautiful dimples. 

“I’d love to if you guys will have me. I love Christmas so much!” He claps excitedly.

“Well then, we’ll make sure to throw your name in the hat this year.” Louis tells him.

“Is there anything I should bring for Friendsgiving?” Harry asks and Louis finds it adorable how seriously he’s taking it all when past years they’ve just spent it drinking and marathoning Christmas movies. Louis tells him just that and it only seems to make Harry even more excited. “Do you guys have Love Actually? That’s a must when watching holiday themed movies.”

Niall groans. “Harry, I like you, I really do. But please don’t make us watch that.”

Harry pouts and Louis feels the need to rectify it immediately. “Hush you, Niall. Harry can bring whatever movie he wants. In fact, perhaps this year we can make it all about the holiday rom coms. Saves us from having to watch Die Hard for the millionth time.”

“I can’t believe you’d disrespect John McClane like this, Louis.” Niall storms off dramatically but is actually just heading over to the bar to get another drink.

“I’ve never seen Die Hard,” Harry comments.

Everyone’s eyes widen, glancing over at Niall before looking at Harry. “Please for the love of God,  _ do not _ tell Niall that.” Louis whisper shouts.

“Not unless you want to sit through the most insufferable three hours of your life with Niall listing all the reasons why Die Hard is the best movie of all time and why you should watch it,” Liam informs him.

Harry visibly cringes. “Thanks for the heads up. I’ll make sure not to do that.”

Thanksgiving is the usual for Louis. He catches up with his mom and sisters while getting to enjoy some delicious homemade meals that bring him back to his childhood. His more distant relatives come by, ask Louis about work and what he’s been up to. Louis is finding it hard not to talk about Harry, even almost slips on more than one occasion when he’s talking to his mom about something and thinks of something Harry said or did related to it.

Before he knows it, the weekend is over and it’s back to work. Louis hears Zayn on the phone a couple of times discussing what they want to do for Friendsgiving dinner with Harry insisting they do something homemade instead of ordering in. It somehow ends up turning into Harry taking charge of the food and letting the rest of the group worry about drinks and movies which is more than okay with Louis.

Louis isn’t sure what he expected but Harry goes all out. He makes a roast, claiming it’s his mother’s recipe along with Yorkshire pudding to go with it. It’s all delicious and they don’t stop complimenting Harry on his culinary skills all throughout the evening. Since Harry cooked, they let him choose the movie which, as expected, ends up being Love Actually. The couples take over the large couch each cuddling with their significant other while Niall takes the reclining chair.

“You disgust me!” he groans, glancing at the two pairs before moving his gaze towards the TV. 

In a surprising turn of events, Niall ends up engrossed in the movie from the beginning, even tearing up at the end when everyone gets their happy ending.

They take it and run with it, teasing Niall about how he didn’t want to watch the movie to begin with and how he’s now a big fan of it.

“See, Niall? There are more movies out there other than Die Hard,” Louis teases.

“Whatever, you dick. Let’s do our secret Santa exchange now.”

Zayn passes out the slips of paper and everyone writes their names. Niall comes around to collect them and puts them in a Santa hat. They’d started the exchange when they first moved in, all of them strapped for cash and unable to buy gifts for everyone. After that they just continued to do it even though they’re all better off financially than before. It’s nice having their own little tradition.

“If you pick your own name, give it back,” Niall instructs before giving Liam the hat so he can go first.

Liam takes a slip and passes it down. It goes around the room, each of them taking a peek at their paper to see who they got. 

“Are we all good?” Liam asks. 

Everyone looks at each other to see if their faces will give anything away. Louis glances at Harry and he’s got this frog face where he’s smiling with his mouth closed and his dimples out.

“Alright, I’m out of here. I need to spend some time with single people before I gag. Later losers.” Niall collects his coat and waves over his shoulder before slamming the door shut.

Louis, Liam and Zayn help clean up, not letting Harry do anything since he did all the cooking. They wrap up the leftovers, filling up whatever empty crevices are left in their fridge.

“We’re going to call it a night,” Liam announces after they finish putting everything away.

“Yeah, try to keep the noise down to a minimum,” Zayn winks before they disappear into their bedroom.

Louis rolls his eyes. They don’t know that Harry and Louis haven’t gone that far yet. They’re still taking things slow, but Louis can feel Harry starting to want something more. It’s in the way their kisses linger and Harry stares at him with dark eyes. The way his fingers trail along Louis’ leg, making him shiver. It doesn’t go further than that and as difficult as it’s been for Louis to resist he thinks he’s ready to take the next step. 

Harry is grabbing a glass of water in the kitchen and Louis stands in the doorway watching him. His throat constricts with each swallow and Louis finds it so mesmerizing he forgets what he’s going to do for a moment. 

“I was wondering,” Louis begins. Harry rinses his glass and puts it back in its place. He turns around and leans against the counter giving Louis his undivided attention. The scrutiny makes Louis’ face flush but he pushes through because he wants this. “I was wondering if you’d like to spend the night with me tonight?”

Harry’s always had an expressive face and tonight it’s no different as the surprise is evident in his features. He doesn’t say anything in response and it makes Louis second guess everything.

“I mean… you don’t have to of course. Just thought I’d throw it out there,” Louis scratches the back of his head. “Um, you know what? Forget I ever said anything…”

Before Louis can continue stuttering his words, Harry surges toward him capturing his lips. His hands cup Louis’ cheeks as he licks into his mouth. Louis likes to get lost in Harry’s mouth, his taste, his everything. He always kisses with purpose. The same way Harry’s expressive with his face, he’s the same way when he kisses. Louis can feel it all the way down to the tips of his toes. 

They pull apart and Louis is breathless.

“I would love to stay.” 

Nearly a month of build up has led to this moment and Louis feels the need to pinch himself to make sure he’s not dreaming. Because Harry is like all of his dreams come to life. 

Louis leads Harry to his bedroom and he takes everything in. His room isn’t big by any means. The bed takes up most of the space, leaving room for a small nightstand and a dresser. His desk wouldn’t fit as much as he tried to make it, so he had no choice but to place it out in the living room.

“Make yourself comfortable,” Louis says. “You can look through my drawers and find something to sleep in if you want.”

Harry pulls Louis in by his shirt, shutting him up with another kiss.

“Mm, I don’t think I’ll be needing clothes with what I plan on doing tonight,” Harry says staring at Louis with hooded eyes.

Louis’ mouth goes dry and he swallows hard. “And what’s that then?”

Harry pushes Louis against the bedroom door getting so close to him, he’s surrounded by all of him. He feels his hot breath against his ear and he shivers.

“I want to taste every last inch of you,” Harry whispers.

Louis’ eyes close instinctively and yes. He wants that so much. Before Louis can react, Harry is falling to his knees, his gaze not leaving his. 

Harry’s fingers dance around Louis’ belt buckle. 

“Can I?”

Louis nods. “Yes, yes. Please.”

Harry grins and undoes the belt in one quick swoop. The button and zipper come undone next and then he’s tugging on his jeans low enough to reveal Louis’ dick. Harry pauses to admire Louis who’s hardening up by the minute. 

Harry licks his lips and takes Louis’ cock in his hand, stroking it with the perfect amount of pressure. A small blurt of precome leaks and Harry leans in to lick it clean.

It happens so fast Louis doesn’t realize it until he’s already pulled back, licking his lips. 

“You taste amazing,” Harry moans before going back in. This time, he spends time sucking the tip, swirling his tongue in the most delicious way. 

If Harry weren’t holding him against the door, Louis would already be on the floor from his legs giving out.

Louis’ hand instinctively falls to Harry’s head, tugging a bit at the strands. Harry moans, sucking him harder and taking him deeper. 

“Fuck! Baby, I don’t want to come like this,” Louis breathes. He whines when Harry pulls off gazing at Louis with shiny lips.

Harry stands and removes his shirt in one swift motion, throwing it aside. “Come on then. I need you out of these clothes.”

They fall on the bed once they’re both naked and Harry rolls them over so he’s on top. They kiss dirty and messy before Harry drags his lips down Louis’ jaw licking down to his neck. His teeth scratch along the sensitive skin there and it has Louis moaning in ultimate bliss. Louis runs his fingers down Harry’s sides as he continues working on his collarbones and nipples. He can feel the way Harry trembles when Louis’ nails scratch lightly near his love handles, so he focuses on that spot, liking the reaction he’s getting from him.

“Condoms?” Harry asks, breathing heavily.

Louis doesn’t hesitate to fetch them from his night stand along with a bottle of lube. Harry takes them, opening the lube and squirting some and spreading it on his fingers. 

“Normally, I’d like to take my sweet time opening you up, drive you over the edge over and over again, but I’ve been waiting so long for this, I don’t think I can wait anymore,” Harry admits before diving back in to kiss Louis. His tongue drags along Louis’ bottom lip before licking inside. Louis whines, arching off the bed, clinging to Harry for dear life.

They continue making out as Harry reaches down to prod a finger at Louis’ entrance. Louis is so caught up in Harry’s mouth that he’s relaxed and pliant when the first finger slides in. They pause, staring into each other’s eyes and Harry smiles softly before kissing him again. He works his finger in and out of Louis, sliding a second one along with it. It continues like that until Harry is three fingers in with Louis panting and moaning beneath him.

“I’m ready. Please fuck me,” Louis begs. He’d be embarrassed at how needy and desperate he sounds, but right now he couldn’t care less.

Harry pecks him on the lips. “Okay, okay.” He kneels to open the condom wrapper, sliding it expertly over himself and lubing up before he’s back lining up against Louis. “Tell me if you need a moment, okay?”

Louis nods and Harry slides the tip inside. “Oh God!” He bites on his bottom lip, needing something to ground him. 

“Open your eyes, baby. Want to see you,” Harry says. Louis hadn’t realized he had his eyes closed, so he blinks to find Harry staring at him, mesmerized. His face is covered in a sheen of sweat, his cheeks and lips flushed so pretty. “You with me, darling?” 

Harry’s voice is so soft and sweet. Louis nods. “Yeah. Go on, please.”

Time moves in slow motion as Harry continues pushing in until their hips connect. Harry is saying things against Louis’ skin, but Louis can’t process them all right now. He feels like he’s underwater, overwhelmed with desire and love for the man above him. Harry’s thrusts begin slow and gentle. Louis’ legs encircle Harry’s waist, pushing him deeper, making him whine at the amount of pressure he’s getting like this. 

It’s everything. The way Harry doesn’t take his eyes off Louis for one second, watching his every reaction to the way their bodies get sweat slicked and slide against each other. The friction between their bodies builds and builds until they both can’t take it any longer.

Louis comes untouched and without warning and Harry gazes at him awestruck, watching as he spills all over his chest between them. It has Harry reaching his own release in no time, dropping like dead weight on top of Louis when he does. Both of them are breathless, chests heaving and hearts racing as they come down from their highs.

Harry eventually rolls over, settling next to Louis. He lies sideways, resting his head on his hand and watching Louis but not saying anything.

“What?” Louis asks, his cheeks flushing even more with the way Harry is looking at him.

Harry grins, that dimple making its appearance. He bites at his already red bitten lip. “You’re amazing,” he says, his voice light and airy.

Louis flips sideways so they’re facing each other, he plants a kiss on Harry’s lips, still warm and flushed.

“Stay the night with me?” Louis asks, unsure but hopeful.

If it’s even possible, Harry’s grin only widens at that, lighting up the room around them.

“I thought you’d never ask.”


	3. Chapter 3

**December 2018**

Christmas seems to come out of nowhere right after Thanksgiving. They gear up for their annual Christmas slash Louis’ birthday party that happens every year just before they part ways to spend the holidays with their families. Harry’s parents and older sister are set to come for a visit, so Louis isn’t expecting to see much of him after the party. They’d agreed that it’s too early in their relationship to meet each other’s families, so they’re spending as much time together as they can before the holiday.

Louis always rents out Benny’s for his birthday celebration, since their apartment isn’t big enough for the amount of people they plan to invite. They go all out, everyone asking anyone they know from work to come and inviting old friends from college. They go shopping for party supplies one Saturday, spending hundreds of dollars on decorations including Santa hats, reindeer antlers, and fake snow. 

The day of the party, they spend the majority of their morning decorating and setting up a spot for the DJ, who happens to be one of Niall’s co-workers. Zayn’s sister Doniya is helping with catering and Louis receives a text from her letting him know she’s on her way over. 

Harry stops Louis when he’s in the middle of hanging Christmas lights around the DJ table.

“Louis, go upstairs, have a shower and get ready. We’ll take care of the rest. It’s your birthday party, you should be making us do all the work,” Harry insists, taking the lights from his hand.

“But let me just…”

“No. Go  _ home, _ pamper yourself a bit, put on those tight jeans that make your arse look amazing,” Harry says, winking.

Louis snorts. He pulls Harry by the waist, nipping at his jaw. “You should come join me in the shower. Make sure I’m all cleaned up for my party,” he whispers into Harry’s ear, licking his earlobe and taking it between his teeth.

Harry shudders. “Fuck, okay. Let me finish over here and I’ll meet you upstairs.”

Louis smiles smugly. “You better, or else I’m going to start without you.”

As Louis begins to walk away, Harry stops him. “Don’t you dare,” he almost growls.

Louis saunters away, making sure to stick his ass out and swing his hips from side to side as he exits the bar.

He arrives to an empty apartment, going straight to his room to decide what he should wear. His favorite pair of skinny jeans are already hanging by the door and it just happens to be a coincidence that they’re the ones Harry suggested he wear. Choosing a shirt is a more difficult feat because there are almost too many options for someone like Louis, who’s the most indecisive person on earth. 

Harry walks into the room when Louis is looking between a light blue sweater and a black one with a red design across the chest. He feels Harry encircle his arms around his waist, his breath against his neck as he places a kiss there.

“You should go with the blue one. It will bring out your eyes,” he says before he kisses him on the neck again.

Louis puts the black top away. “It’s settled then.” He places the chosen sweater on the bed, turning in Harry’s arms and kissing him on the lips. “Come on then, let’s go shower before Liam and Zayn beat us to it.” In the end they don’t have time to do more than washing themselves, much to Louis’ disappointment.

By early evening, guests are arriving. Niall introduces Louis to his friend Nick, who’s DJing for the night.

“Niall, you didn’t tell me the birthday boy was so handsome,” Nick says with a wink. Louis can’t help blushing at the compliment.

Niall puts his arm around Nick. “I didn’t, you’re right. But I’d also be careful because that guy over there with the Santa hat at the door is his boyfriend and he doesn’t like sharing.”

Nick pouts, sighing. “The cute ones are always taken.”

Louis moves to greet people coming in, thanking them for making it and accepting gifts. No matter how much he insists people don’t have to bring him anything, every year it gets ignored. So, he sets up a table for gifts anyway because no one ever listens to him. Harry’s at the entrance handing out drink tickets to all the guests.

“Louis, what are you doing? Come take your first shot of the night!” Niall calls to him. Louis groans. It’s always Niall’s mission to get him hammered, and obviously this year it’s no different. He accepts the shot glass Niall gives him and they toast before downing the liquid. Tequila, lovely. He sucks on the lime provided, his lips puckering at the taste. 

“I wanted to take the first shot with you,” Harry pouts, appearing behind them.

“Sorry, Harry. Can’t break tradition just because Louis here has a boyfriend,” Niall says non apologetically.

Harry harrumphs. “Well in that case, I get second. Benny, can we get another round of shots please?”

Louis groans. “Oh God. I’m not going to make it past ten tonight, am I?”

His best friend and boyfriend don’t look sorry at all. 

“We should probably exchange gifts now before any of us get wasted,” Harry suggests, excitement in his tone. He turns to get Liam and Zayn as Louis grabs his gift he’d placed behind the bar earlier in the day.

They gather in their favorite booth, each one of them with a wrapped present in their hands. Everyone eyes each other curious to finally reveal who drew what name. To Louis this is always the hardest part, not being able to share with anyone who he’s buying a gift for.

“Who’s gonna be the first to do the honors?” Louis asks.

They go around the table and open presents after every Secret Santa is revealed. Louis gets a set of airpods from Liam. Niall loves the case of customized golf balls and tees Louis gifted him as he shows it off to everyone. Harry gave Zayn a framed print of one of his favorite paintings from an artist he loves, and Liam seems excited about the spa day gift certificate Niall got for him. 

Harry is the last one to open his, taking his sweet time with the wrapping paper claiming to not want to tear it up. When he finally gets it all off, he opens the box to reveal a gorgeous shirt with a beautiful floral pattern. He holds his against his chest, smiling.

“Thanks Zayn, I love it. How did you know Gucci was my favorite brand?” 

Zayn glances at Louis knowingly before saying, “ A little birdie told me.”

Harry leans into Louis and kisses him on the cheek. “Thanks, love.”

The party continues with the music pumping. People are dancing on the makeshift dance floor and Louis feels good. He’s lost the number of shots he’s had by now, but who was he kidding trying to keep track anyway?

“Come dance with me,” Harry says, tugging Louis to the dance floor and not leaving any room for argument. 

“Last Hurrah” by Bebe Rexha is playing and Harry’s hands are on his hips as soon as they get to the dance floor. This is the first time he and Harry have danced together like this, and he finds that he loves having him this close. It feels like foreplay with the way Harry is teasing him by rubbing his crotch on his thigh. Harry smirks playfully, swiveling his hips deliciously against his. Louis’ hands instinctively grab hold of Harry’s sides, getting a feel for the soft skin on his love handles that he loves to bite on every time they have sex. Harry gasps obscenely, his mouth parting open as he tilts his head back exposing his neck right there for Louis to have. So he takes it. His mouth latches on to the side of his throat, licking at the salty skin and biting down.

Harry’s hand comes up to Louis’ head, holding him there to keep going. Louis pulls away, admiring the small bruise he’s created. His gaze meets Harry’s and his eyes are dark, full of want. Louis is tempted to call it a night right now and take his boyfriend upstairs to ravish him.

“Get a room!” They both jump at the loud voice. The song by now has changed to something softer and when Louis turns to see who yelled, he finds a smug Zayn and Liam sitting in their booth.

Louis rolls his eyes and flicks them off. By now the moment is gone and Harry and Louis take a break from dancing to get something to drink. Louis joins his friends in the booth while Harry goes to fetch them some beverages.

“Having fun?” Liam asks with a knowing smirk. 

“Yes, you ass. Thanks for being a cock block.”

“We did you guys a favor. No one wants to be seeing you guys humping on the dance floor,” Zayn pipes in.

“Whatever. It’s my birthday, I should get to do whatever the fuck I want.” Louis crosses his arms, but he’s really not upset. They’re always giving each other shit and tonight isn’t any different.

Harry returns with bottled waters for them.

“Water?” Louis asks, looking at Harry like he’s grown a second head.

Harry pats him on the head gently before sitting next to him. “We’ve both got to slow down, babe. We nearly fucked in front of everyone.”

“Oh there’s Andy from the firm. I’m going to say hi, be right back,” Liam says, kissing Zayn on the cheek before leaving the booth.

There’s a flight of shots in front of Zayn, two out of five already empty. Zayn takes a third and downs it, making a face before setting the glass down.

“Having fun, Zee?”

Zayn stares at the glasses in front of him, suddenly serious. “D’you know that I always wanted to pursue art? That’s what I studied in college y’know? Remember I took that semester abroad in Europe? It was amazing. I got to see some of the most famous artworks in our history.”

Louis glances at Harry who looks interested in Zayn’s little speech. Something about it is rubbing Louis the wrong way, though. He can’t quite pinpoint what it is.

“I do art m’self y’know? At least I used to. But I haven’t in a long time,” Zayn sighs before taking another shot.

“Why don’t you anymore?” Harry asks.

Zayn shrugs. “I applied for jobs at art galleries after college, but got rejected. From every single one. Turns out you need to know somebody, be connected, just to break in. It discouraged me a lot, I didn’t paint for a long time. Got a job teaching because I needed the money, but I always told myself it was temporary, just until I found the right thing for me. But I never looked after that. Got too scared.”

Before they can ask Zayn what prompted him to bring this all up, Liam returns to introduce Andy to Zayn. Zayn’s face goes from resigned to happy, pasting on a smile and shaking Andy’s hand and making conversation with him. Louis is still confused, and makes a mental note to talk to Zayn about it another time when they’re both sober.

“Come here, I want to show you something,” Harry whispers in Louis’ ear disrupting his thoughts.

“Oh yeah?” Louis quirks a brow.

Harry slaps him on the arm. “No, not that, silly. Come.”

Louis is being tugged away by Harry again and he takes them to a more secluded corner of the bar.

“I wanted to give you your birthday gift when no one’s around,” Harry says. He hands him a small box that Louis hadn’t even noticed he was holding. It’s wrapped in ‘happy birthday’ wrapping paper instead of the Christmas kind like all his other gifts, and Louis is touched, finding that little detail endearing as hell.

“What is it?” Louis asks with a grin.

“Open it and find out.”

Louis tears the paper, revealing a small cardboard box. It’s a little bigger than a ring box and when Louis pops the lid open, he finds a small silver keychain with a miniature version of The Bean, like the one they visited on their first date.

“Now you have a souvenir from our first date,” Harry says as Louis holds it up in his finger, the small metal bean twirling in the air.

“I love it. Thank you,” Louis says, leaning in to kiss Harry.

The kiss deepens within seconds, partly because of the influence of the alcohol, but mostly just because he needs to have Harry right now. They lick into each other’s mouths, Louis’ hands cupping his cheeks.

“Didn’t I tell you guys to get a room?”

Louis groans, leaning his forehead against Harry’s.

“We’re going to have really loud sex tonight just to piss Zayn off,” Louis tells Harry as they break apart.

Harry grins. “I’m good with that.” 

Louis hooks his new keychain in with the rest of his keys before stuffing them back in his pocket. He takes Harry’s hand, saying, “Come on, baby, let’s go dance.”

  
  


The next morning, Harry wakes Louis up with kisses on his forehead. Louis groans, his hangover in full force.

“I’m sorry, love. I’ve got to go pick up my parents from the airport in a bit. I’m going to go shower and change.” He kisses Louis again. “I left you some water and ibuprofen on the nightstand.”

Louis loves him, he really does. He stretches his arms and legs, his back cracking deliciously.

“Thanks, babe. Have a good holiday.” Harry smiles and leans in to place a soft kiss on his lips.

“You too, darling. I’ll call you tonight.” With that, he watches his boyfriend leave. Fuck, he’s going to miss him.

Louis takes the ibuprofen and water Harry left for him and downs it. He should really just ban tequila from any of the parties he throws. It’s evil.

He steps out and finds Zayn on the couch, wrapped up in a blanket with a bucket next to him.

“Oh shit. That bad, huh?” Louis asks, walking into their kitchen to prepare some coffee.

Zayn just moans in response, making Louis chuckle. Poor bastard. He makes his coffee, preparing a tea for Zayn to help with his nausea and orders some of the greasiest food he can find on Postmates.

“Here, this will help,” Louis tells Zayn, handing him his tea. Zayn mumbles a ‘thank you’ before taking a sip. “Where’s Liam?”

Zayn sets the tea on the coffee table. “Had to work. It’s why he didn’t really drink last night, didn’t want to be nursing a hangover while working on briefs all day.”

“Smart man.” His memory of last night is a little fuzzy, he doesn’t remember much after they had cut the cake. He and Harry didn’t end up having loud sex, as much as he wanted to, they were both too drunk. Instead they cuddled in bed until they passed out. He did notice Zayn seeming off and quiet after their conversation. Taking advantage of Liam’s absence, Louis decides to bring it up.

“So… do you have any recollection of our little conversation last night?” Louis begins. He drinks from his mug, the warm coffee already doing wonders for his hangover.

Zayn wrinkles his eyebrows at Louis. “What conversation? I’m sure we had more than one.”

Even hungover, Zayn doesn’t stop being a sarcastic ass. Louis rolls his eyes.

“When we were at the booth. You sort of started to ramble about how you always wanted to pursue a career in art and you went on and on about it. But you sounded sad, like you’ll never get to do it again or something. Something felt off, but I didn’t want to say anything in front of Liam,” Louis explains.

“Wait. Did I say all this in front of Liam?” Zayn’s eyes widen in panic.

“No, no,” Louis assures him, putting his hand on Zayn’s blanket covered leg. “He’d stepped away to greet a colleague. That's when you began to talk about everything.”

Zayn sighs in relief, but the guilt in his eyes doesn’t go away. He reaches for his tea and takes another sip.

“I don’t know… I just...don’t get me wrong, okay? I love Liam so much and I can’t wait to marry him. But lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about things I still want to do, dreams I want to achieve. What if I don’t get to do those things after I get married? Liam and I have been together forever, we were each other’s firsts for a lot of things, and I’m just afraid that we might be holding each other back or something.” Zayn doesn’t meet Louis’ eyes, instead he picks at his nails that are nestled on his lap.

“Have you talked to Liam about this?” Louis asks even though he already knows the answer.

Zayn shakes his head. “No. Liam, he doesn’t think that way. If I say something, he’s going to brush it off and say I’m just getting cold feet or something.”

“I think you’re underestimating him, Zee. Liam loves you. He would move heaven and earth for you just to make you happy. You should talk to him and explain how you’ve been feeling. I have no doubt that he’ll be supportive of whatever you want to do,” Louis tells him.

Zayn’s lips curve into a small smile. “Maybe you’re right. I’ll talk to him.”

In that moment, Louis’ phone dings with the notifications that his food is arriving.

“Food’s here. Let’s kick these hangovers’ asses.”

  
  


Louis arrives at his mom’s house the day before Christmas Eve. He’s met with a chorus of hellos from his sisters and mother.

“How was the drive, baby?” his mom asks.

Louis shrugs. “It wasn’t too bad.”

Louis’ mom kisses him on the cheek. “That’s good. Well, your room is ready so make yourself at home. Dinner is almost ready.”

Louis’ mom and sisters live in Bolingbrook, which is far enough away that it’s best to spend the night instead of driving back and forth almost an hour each way. When he comes over, his mom makes his sister Lottie share with one of his other sisters so he can have his own room. Louis has insisted that he would gladly take the couch, but his mother refuses, telling him that he should have his own room when he comes home. Louis appreciates it, and will especially appreciate it this year, since he’ll have a place to escape so he can talk to Harry when he calls.

He helps his mom set up the dining table and rounds up all of his siblings when the food is ready. Louis updates his family on life: his job, his friends, and other random things. There’s nothing more he wants than to talk about Harry, but he knows as soon as he does, his mom will have so many questions, he’ll hardly be able to keep up. So he holds off, just a little longer. He promises that by the new year, he’ll tell her everything she wants to know.

After dinner, Louis offers to load up the dishwasher, insisting his mom go and relax. They settle in to watch Elf, which has become a tradition in the Tomlinson household. Louis cuddles with his mom, leaning into her embrace and basking in the attention. He doesn’t care how old he is, he’ll never tire of his mother’s affection, especially when he doesn’t get to see her every day.

When the movie’s over, Louis assists in putting the youngest pair of twins to bed. He prepares some tea for his mother, knowing she likes to have a cup before bed and they sit at the table, just the two of them.

“Thanks, honey.” Jay takes the offered mug.

They talk for a bit, and their conversation is interrupted by the buzzing of his phone, Harry’s face appearing on the screen. Louis flushes instantly, trying to cover the screen, but he knows it’s too late when he sees his mother’s knowing smirk.

“Who’s that?”

Louis lets the call go to voicemail promising to call back as soon as he heads to bed. “Um, so I was going to tell you later, but now that you’ve seen… I’ve been dating someone for almost two months.”

“You’ve been keeping a boy to yourself for two months?” 

“I guess. It’s different with him, Mom, things feel more serious and I don’t want to fuck it up. But I really like him,” Louis admits.

Jay cups Lous’ cheek and kisses him on the forehead. “I’m happy for you. Whenever you’re ready to talk more about him, you know where I’ll be.”

Louis’ shoulders relax, he smiles and squeezes her hand. “Thanks, Mom.”

“Now, go on. Go to your room and call that boy of yours back,” she winks at him.

Louis laughs. “Alright. Goodnight.” He kisses Jay goodnight before bounding up the stairs into his temporary bedroom, pulling out his phone and calling Harry.

“Louis?” Harry’s voice is breathy, his name sounding more like a moan coming out of his lips. Louis’ cock twitches at the beautiful sound. 

“Ha-Harry? What are you doing?” Louis asks. He already knows the answer, but he needs Harry to say it. 

“I’m...fuck, I’m touching myself. I- I called and you didn’t answer, couldn’t wait,” Harry whines.

Louis closes his eyes for a moment, picturing Harry on his bed, with his hands between his legs. What a beautiful sight. 

“Stop touching yourself,” Louis orders, his voice stern even though it’s close to shaking. They’ve never done this over the phone, but there’s no time to waste now. His boy is on the other line an hour away, horny and alone, and Louis is going to help him.

Harry gasps on the other line, groaning. “Oh-okay. I’m sorry, baby.”

Louis can hear Harry’s heavy breathing as he makes sure the door is locked. 

“Okay, Haz. Talk to me. What are you doing?”

Harry lets out a small whine. “I’m trying not to touch myself, but I really want to, Lou. Can I touch myself, please?” His voice is so needy and high, it’s got Louis putting a hand on himself, stroking himself into hardness.

“Okay, darling. Go ahead. Wrap your hand around that beautiful cock of yours.”

Louis listens to Harry’s heavy breathing while he takes off his clothes and climbs under the covers. He can hear Harry’s long strokes so Louis wraps his own hand around his cock, working himself up to full hardness to join his boyfriend.

“You sound so beautiful, baby. Talk to me, tell me what you’re thinking about,” Louis pants, running his thumb over his slit.

A whine escapes Harry’s lips, making Louis’ dick twitch in his hand at the lovely sound.

“I’m thinking about you,” Harry breathes out.

“Oh yeah? What about me, darling?” Louis slows his movements, slowing down the build up of his orgasm as he waits for Harry to respond.

“Mmm. I’m picturing you here, on top of me. Riding me while my hands grab your arse. Fuck, you look so hot taking my cock,” Harry says. The sound of slapping skin increases, making Louis move his own hand faster to match his.

“Fuck, I’d love to ride you. Feel you stretching me out, feel you for days. Oh God.” Louis’ hand is a blur as he pictures Harry’s hands on him, guiding him on his dick and fucking up into him. Louis can practically feel his thighs burning as he fucks himself on Harry’s dick.

“Lou, I’m gonna come, I can’t hold it,” Harry moans.

Louis gasps, “Okay, baby. I’m right there with you. Come on, let me hear you.”

The most beautiful noises spill out of Harry’s mouth into Louis’ ear and that pushes him over the edge as well. His ears ring, his vision blurs for a moment until he comes down from his high, remembering that his boyfriend is still on the line.

“You with me Haz?” Louis asks.

There’s panting on the other side and then a hum. “Yeah, yeah. I’m here. God Lou, I miss you and you’ve hardly been gone for a day,” he chuckles.

Louis laughs too. “Me too. Don’t worry, I’ll be back before you know it.”

  
  
  


On Louis’ birthday, he wakes up with a bed full of siblings and his mom singing Happy Birthday with a homemade cake. He blows out the candles before they all head back to the living room to eat cake and drink milk while watching whatever Christmas movie marathon is on TV. He gets texts from all his friends and Harry wishing him a happy birthday, which leaves Louis smiling all day. Most Christmas Eves are like this, very chill full of family cuddles and never ending movie marathons. Louis wouldn’t have it any other way.

On Christmas Day, their extended family comes over and the house is full of people. The space below the Christmas tree is filled to the brim with gifts and the children are buzzing with excitement at wanting to tear them open. They have an amazing dinner before everyone exchanges gifts. Louis’ favorite part is seeing his siblings’ faces when they open their gifts, he can’t help but capture it on his phone. 

Louis gives his mom the gift he got her and watches as she opens it. Her face lights up when she sees it’s a gift certificate to her favorite spa.

“Thank you, Louis. I love it.” She kisses him on the cheek.

The rest of the week is filled with snow ball fights, building a snowman and taking his siblings tubing on a nearby hill. Louis tries to give his mom as many breaks from the kids as possible so she can spend time at the spa and just relax for a bit. He doesn’t mind it one bit because he loves his sisters and younger brother, could spend hours with them and never get tired of it. At the end of each day, they wind down at home, making hot chocolate with lots of marshmallows and movies by the fireplace. 

When Friday rolls around, Louis is forced to begin packing up his things. He and the guys spend New Year’s together every year after they return from being with their families. The guys are his second family and they always make it a thing to ring in the new year with each other. Butterflies flutter in Louis’ stomach as he remembers that this year, Harry will be joining them and he can’t wait to give him his midnight kiss. It will be the first time Louis is spending New Year’s with a boyfriend and he hopes this is only the beginning of many more to come.

Louis loads up the car he rarely uses in the city before going back into the house to give everyone hugs. His mom is the last one, she kisses him on the forehead and wishes him a Happy New Year.

“Thank you, Mom. I’ll call you when I get home.”

“You better,” she says, giving him one more kiss on the cheek.

On his drive back, Louis gets more and more anxious the closer he gets to the apartment. He and Harry haven’t seen each other in nearly a week and they’d agreed to meet at Louis’ after Harry dropped his family off at the airport. 

No one is home when Louis arrives, which is to be expected. Zayn and Liam aren’t set to come back until tomorrow night which is what Louis is counting on so he can have a night in with his boy alone. He unpacks all his things, throwing the clothes that need to be washed in the hamper and everything else back in its place. Louis orders some Chinese takeout when he gets a text from Harry letting him know he just left the airport and will be there soon.

This is the longest they’ve been apart since they started dating, and Louis feels so silly having missed his boyfriend this much. Being apart has only solidified his feelings for Harry and Louis hopes he isn’t the only one falling this hard.

A knock on the door shakes him from his thoughts and when he opens it, Harry’s standing in the hall, grinning from ear to ear with that beautiful dimple carved into his cheek.

“Hi,” Harry breathes. Before Louis can respond, Harry surges for him, capturing his lips in a searing kiss. The movement makes Louis slam the door shut and Harry pushes him against it, nipping at his jaw and neck. “God, I missed you so much. Have been dreaming of getting my mouth on you,” he says before going back in, licking the curve of his neck and sucking, no doubt leaving a mark.

As Lous’ luck would have it, that’s when the Chinese food decides to arrive, their heated moment interrupted by another knock. They break apart with a loud smacking sound, their breathing heavy.

“Hold that thought,” Louis pants, as he runs a hand over his lips and hair before opening the door. He hands the delivery person the money and a generous tip and takes the food, closing the door. 

Harry takes the bag of take out from Louis’ hands and sets it on the coffee table. He stares at Louis for a moment, then takes him by the hand into his bedroom. He doesn’t waste any time getting Louis out of his clothes before taking off his own. 

They fall onto the bed, Harry settling between his legs to resume their kiss. It’s quick, and dirty, both of them unable to hold off much longer. Harry gives him one last lingering kiss before scrambling to turn around, positioning his body so that his mouth is hovering over Louis’ cock. He doesn’t hesitate, swirling his tongue around the tip before swallowing him down. Louis whines at the warm, wet sensation, reaching his head up to take Harry’s dick into his mouth, sucking like he’s starving for it, like it’s all he wanted all his life. It’d be embarrassing how fast they come, but at the same time it’s so fucking hot how much they both just want each other. Louis sucks Harry down, letting him spill everything into his mouth. He moans around his cock, loving the taste and warmth of him. Louis follows right after, the tightness of Harry’s mouth making him come so quickly.

When they’re done, Harry lies next to Louis on the bed as they come down. They stare at each other, both still breathing heavy and they burst out laughing.

“Wow,” Harry giggles, his face still red from their tryst and from laughing so hard. “That was...um, not what I had planned, to be honest.”

Louis laughs with him, wiping the sweat off his forehead. “I don’t know what your plan was, but this was also good.  _ Really _ good.”

Another burst of laughter rips out of them until they eventually calm down. Louis takes Harry in his arms and kisses him chastely on the lips.

“Our food is probably cold by now, but I’m starving,” Louis says. As if on cue, Harry’s stomach growls. “Apparently you are as well. Come on then.”

  
  
  


Louis, Harry, Zayn and Liam are outside of the apartment building, shivering in the bitter cold.

“Where the fuck is Niall?” Liam groans, checking the time on his phone.

“He said he was almost here, but I can only imagine how bad traffic is right now,” Louis tells them. It’s New Year’s Eve and they’re supposed to be making several stops to attend different parties before settling at Prysm, the club where they got a VIP table. That’s if Niall ever makes it.

“Can we just leave without him? I’m freezing my arse off,” Harry chimes in.

“Yeah, let’s at least go to Benny’s to wait for him. He’s taking too long,” Zayn agrees.

Just as they’re about to head over there, they hear “You Give Love a Bad Name” by Bon Jovi echoing through the street until Niall appears standing in the sun roof of a limousine.

“Oh dear God,” Louis mutters.

Niall is grinning from ear to ear and a woman with a fur coat and hair down to her shoulders appears next to him with the same smile. They’re holding glasses of champagne and they clink glasses and take a sip just as the driver pulls up to the spot in front of them.

“Happy New Year’s Eve, friends! I rented us a limo for the night!” Niall announces.

The guys stare with wide eyes and jaws on the floor. Louis manages to get himself together. 

He claps his hands together. “Alright. Let’s do this!”

That gets everyone else to shake themselves out of their reverie and they pile into the limousine.

“Guys, this is Natalie. She’s my date for the night,” Niall informs them, handing them each a glass.

They all mumble their hellos to Natalie before the driver pulls away from the curb, officially kicking off their night. Niall pours champagne in their glasses, insisting they propose a toast to the night ahead of them. He continues blasting music, telling them that he made a “Get Psyched” mix of songs to get keep them energized for every stop they have to make tonight.

Their first stop isn’t far, it’s at Louis’ co-worker’s Stan’s house in Lincoln Park. The place is so packed, there isn’t any place to sit. Louis gets himself and Harry a drink and they stand against a wall. Zayn and Liam aren’t far from them and Niall and Natalie have disappeared somewhere. They’d agreed they’d stay at each place no more than an hour before they welcome the New Year at Prysm. 

Louis catches sight of Stan and he greets him and introduces him to Harry. They chat for a while before Stan’s attention is needed elsewhere.

“Okay, he saw me, I think we can go now,” Louis tells the guys. They all nod and make their way toward the exit.

“Where’s Niall?” Zayn asks as they approach the limousine already waiting for them.

“I’ll text him,” Liam offers.

They get into the limousine, which is warm in comparison to the chilly air outside. A few minutes later, Niall appears with Natalie hanging off his arm.

“Alright, let’s go to the next party!”

Their next stop is a party that’s being hosted by Niall’s radio station in the heart of the city. They pull up in front of an enormous building and Niall leads them inside. They ride the elevator up to the 28th floor. When the elevator doors part open, they’re met with a myriad of people who are either dancing, getting something to eat at the buffet, or refilling their drinks at the bar. The floor-to-ceiling windows give everyone an amazing view of the city around them, the city lights glowing like stars across the night sky.

Niall disappears again, probably to make his presence known with his colleagues. Harry and Louis line up at the buffet table to get something to eat. There’s shrimp cocktails and finger sandwiches as well as a chocolate fountain with all the fixings you can think of to use as dippers.

They settle at one of the high top tables with Liam and Zayn as they munch on their food, watching the people on the dance floor. Louis catches a glimpse of Niall talking to Nick and another man who looks like he might be Nick’s date based on the arm he has placed around his waist. 

At one point, Niall joins the DJ and takes over the microphone, telling everyone to get on the dance floor for the last time this year and has everyone cheering and swarming the area to do just that. Louis takes Harry’s hand, taking them to join the rest of the crowd.

“Having a good time?” Louis asks as he wraps his arms around Harry’s waist, pulling him closer.

Harry plants a kiss on his lips, smiling. “Anytime I’m with you I’m having the best time.”

Louis’ cheeks flush at Harry’s statement. “Me too.”

Harry places his hands around Louis’ neck and pulls him into a kiss. Harry’s lips are soft and inviting and Louis would spend all day kissing him if he could. Their kiss is interrupted when someone bumps into them and Louis wants to snap at them, but he doesn’t. Instead, he kisses Harry again, this time just a small press against his lips. 

They end up at their last stop an hour before midnight, and Louis is surprised they managed to stick to their schedule. They’re let in once Louis gives them his name at the door, and escorted to their designated VIP table. There’s a bottle of champagne and Grey Goose chilling in an ice bucket along with enough glasses for everyone and a couple of mixers for the liquor.

That’s when they all let their guard completely down, filling up their glasses with alcohol, taking shots while they wait for the countdown to begin. They dance in their own designated area, the dance floor is far too full for any of their tastes, so they remain where they are, unbothered. It takes them close to no time to get drunk, like they’d all been holding back until they got to the club.

“It’s ten minutes until midnight!” Harry announces to the group. His cheeks are the loveliest shade of pink, his eyes are shiny, and he’s wearing the widest grin Louis has ever seen on him. “Lou! Will you be my midnight kiss?” he asks seriously.

Louis chuckles. “I was sort of planning that to be the case, love. Weren’t you?”

Harry scrunches his face, deep in thought. “Hmm, I had my options open, but you’ll do,” he jokes.

Louis gasps dramatically, clutching his chest. “I’ll have you know there’s a ton of other boys who would be willing to kiss me. In fact, let me go find them right now,” he pretends to walk away, but just as he expected, he feels Harry’s hand bringing him to a halt.

Harry turns him around, pulling him close to his chest. Their faces are mere inches from each other, so close he can feel the warmth of Harry’s breath. All Louis smells is vodka and Harry’s sandalwood cologne that he loves so much on him.

“Ten, nine, eight, seven, six…” People begin to chant around him, but Harry and Louis are in their own little bubble.

Harry stares into his eyes and Louis stares right back, unable to break his gaze from the most wonderful, gorgeous man he’s ever laid eyes on.

“HAPPY NEW YEAR!” Everyone around them roars.

Louis leans in, kissing Harry for the first time in 2019.

“Happy New Year, baby.”

Harry goes in again, as if the first time just wasn’t enough for him.

“Happy New Year, Louis.”


	4. Chapter 4

**January 2019**

There’s a big lull after the holidays when everyone goes back to work and life turns back into a habit of waking up, going to work, then coming home to sleep. Everyone gets swamped with the new year and work piling up on them. They hardly have time to see each other, let alone hang out at Benny’s or anywhere else.

Louis sees Zayn and Liam here and there, and Harry spends the night a few times a week. They take turns sleeping at each other’s places since it’s the only time they get to spend any time together lately. 

Zayn seems the most stressed out of anyone trying to plan a wedding that is just around the corner. Louis helps as much as he can, stuffing envelopes, helping them screen DJs and tasting a multitude of cake flavor combinations. They’re getting a lot done, but Louis doesn’t miss the way there’s a spark missing from Zayn’s eyes.

One evening, Louis is able to get off work early by some miracle of the gods and he’s got an entire evening planned where he’s going to cook Harry dinner so he doesn’t have to worry about it when he gets home. Louis is at the grocery store when he gets a phone call from Zayn. Before Louis can greet him, Zayn is already interrupting him.

“Louis I need your help,” he says, sounding frantic.

Louis’ stomach drops already thinking the worst. “What’s wrong, Zayn?”

“I’m stuck in Joliet with a flat tire but I have no idea where to ask for help around here.”

“Why don’t you ask Liam to call the roadside assistance?” Louis asks.

“I can’t let him know I’m here. Can you come help me? I have no idea how to change a tire and I’ve seen you do it more than once.” 

Louis groans. “Zayn, Joliet is over an hour away. What are you doing over there anyway?”

“I’ll tell you when you get here, just. Please Louis. Liam can’t find out about this.  _ Please.”  _ Zayn sounds desperate and it tugs at Louis’ heartstrings. Dammit, why did he have to answer his phone, maybe then Niall would have been stuck in this predicament.

Louis lets out a long sigh. “Fine. But you owe me big time.”

“Yes, yes. Promise. Just please hurry.” 

Louis checks the time and sees that it’s almost 6pm. “Damn you, Zayn Malik,” he mutters as he puts away the things he already had in his basket and walks out of the store. He sends Harry a text letting him know he probably won’t make it to his place tonight and Harry, being the best understanding boyfriend that he is, tells him not to worry.

With the rush hour Chicago traffic, it takes Louis almost two hours to get to Joliet where Zayn is patiently waiting on the hood of Liam’s car playing with his phone. When Zayn notices him, he jumps to his feet, relief coloring his face.

“Thank God you’re here. This area looks shady as fuck.”

Louis rolls his eyes, opening the trunk of his car to get the things he needs.

“Let’s just get this over with.”

Zayn hands Louis the tools he needs when he asks for them as he works on getting the flat tire off the car.

“So, you mind telling me now why you’re all the way over here?”

Zayn visibly deflates and shrugs. “I heard about an art fellowship in Los Angeles and they’re doing interviews at a college not far from here. I figured I’d try and see if maybe I can still do something in the art field.”

“Have you talked to Liam about all this like I suggested?” Louis asks.

Zayn shakes his head and Louis wants to punch his friend in the face. “I’ve tried, Louis. I really tried so many times but I always chickened out at the last minute. As soon as I see Liam’s brown puppy eyes, it becomes too much. I can’t do this to him.”

“You’re not doing anything to him, Zee. You’re just communicating with your partner your concerns. As supportive as Liam is, I have no doubt he’ll understand. He’ll want to work it out.” Louis insists. He’s finishing the final steps, sweat gathering on his forehead. He wipes it off with his forearm.

“Plus, I wasn’t going to do anything if I actually got accepted. I just wanted to see if I could,” Zayn tells Louis.

Louis puts his tools away, slamming his trunk shut. He rubs his hands together to get the dirt off.

“That should do it.”

Zayn hugs Louis. “Thanks, Louis.”

“Yeah, yeah.” He pulls away from Zayn, staring him in the eyes. “Please promise me you’ll talk to Liam about this.”

Zayn nods. “I promise.”

Luckily when Louis gets home Liam hasn’t arrived yet, probably stuck working on some case at the office. He texts Harry to let him know he’s home, which gets him a smiley face in return.

It feels weird, sleeping in his bed alone without Harry’s warm body wrapped around him. The pillow Harry uses when he’s over smells just like him and Louis lets it lull him to sleep.

A warm hand wrapped between his legs is what wakes Louis up the next morning. At first, he thinks he’s dreaming, feeling the way the tightness around his length is so good, he doesn’t want it to stop. But then a soft moan is what makes him take pause, blinking his eyes open he’s met with a familiar set of green ones. 

Harry smiles softly at him, placing a kiss on his lips. “Good morning, love,” he practically groans into his mouth as he continues his rhythm. Louis closes his eyes, getting overwhelmed with the taste, the smell of Harry. He arches off the bed, his orgasm already building so close to the edge.

Louis pulls Harry on top of him, he’s just as hard and they begin to rub against each other. Harry’s hands rest next to the sides of Louis’ head to get a better grip as he grinds against him, both of them moaning in delicious unison.

Their kiss deepens, becoming all teeth and tongues until Harry comes, his body shaking in absolute bliss. Louis follows right after, unable to contain it once he sees how beautiful Harry’s orgasm face is. Harry lays on top of him like dead weight for a few seconds before he rolls off.

“I’ve made a mess of my pants, now I’m going to need to borrow some clothes,” Harry says.

Louis kisses him, humming. “Well you know where my dresser is, help yourself.”

Turns out Harry came over bright and early to prepare homemade waffles, eggs and bacon. A fresh pot of coffee is already waiting for him when they finally made it out of the bedroom.

“Are Liam and Zayn home?” Louis asks, reaching for a mug from the cupboard to pour himself some coffee.

“No. They left about an hour ago after they let me in,” Harry informs him, having his own cup of coffee.

They spend their Saturday morning eating breakfast in the living room, watching whatever’s in the DVR that they haven’t caught up on, taking advantage of the mid-season break most shows have going on. 

After the stressful night Louis had, having his boyfriend make him breakfast and wake him up with sex makes him almost forget everything that happened with Zayn. Almost.

  
  
  


When Louis walks into Benny’s on Valentine’s Day, it looks like cupid threw up inside. It’s more packed than it usually is on a normal day, but thankfully Zayn and Liam managed to snag them a booth.

On Zayn and Harry’s insistence, they planned a double date for today before Louis whisks Harry away on a surprise weekend getaway.

“Hello everyone,” Louis says, the last to arrive. He pecks Harry on the lips. They’d all agreed to meet here for a drink before heading out to the restaurant. 

“How was work, baby?” Harry inquires, sipping on his piña colada. Louis finds it distracting, taking him a minute to realize he’d been asked a question.

“Um...work was good, yeah. Same old shit, different day,” Louis says.

“Are we ready to go? Our reservations are for 8pm,” Liam tells him pointing at his watch.

“Fine, come on Payno. Let’s go.” They bundle into their coats, Louis taking Harry’s hand as they brave the weather. It’s been an abnormally frigid winter, having a handful of snow days which is saying something because it takes a lot for the city to shut down due to the weather. Thankfully today isn’t too bad, just a bit of wind chill coming from Lake Michigan, but that’s every day no matter the season.

They take a cab to Chinatown and barely make it to the restaurant on time. With the traffic in the city, they usually allow at least an hour, but on a holiday it should have been more apparently. The hostess takes them to their table, handing them menus before excusing herself and promising the waitress will come and take their order soon.

Little heart streamers are hanging all over the restaurant and pink and red lights line the walls, giving it a romantic feel.

“Is it just me, or does it feel like Valentine’s Day is on steroids this year?” Louis asks while perusing the menu.

Zayn snorts. “It’s like this every year. Maybe you’re noticing it more now because you actually have a date on Valentine’s Day for a change.”

Louis scoffs but doesn’t even bother trying to argue. The waitress shows up to take their drink orders, they end up ordering a bottle of red wine for their table. 

“So how are the wedding plans going?” Harry asks. Louis hasn’t told anyone, not even Harry, about the Joliet incident, trusting that Zayn will talk to Liam and they can put it all behind them.

Liam lights up and animatedly goes on and on about how they’ve booked the DJ and settled on a cake. Louis eyes Zayn, who’s looking down at his napkin instead of participating in the conversation. Louis wants to kick him under the table so bad.

The waitress returns with the wine, pouring them each a glass and taking their order. Louis throws Zayn a few glares here and there as discreetly as he can whenever Liam brings up something else wedding related. It’s obvious that Zayn hasn’t talked to him about any of the doubts he’s been having and Louis feels like he’s betraying his best friend by not saying anything.

Other than that, the rest of their dinner is pleasant. The food is delicious and they end up having a heated conversation about Marvel versus DC superheroes.

Once they’ve paid, they return to Benny’s. It’s not as full as it was earlier so they’re able to find their favorite booth empty. Harry offers to buy them a round and they settle, continuing their conversation. 

“I hate to cut the evening short but not really, because I’m going to take my boyfriend upstairs to have my way with him,” Louis announces, winking.

Harry grins, biting his lip in interest. He downs the rest of his beer and slides out of the booth.

“Let’s go then. Goodnight, it was great to share a date with you two.”

Liam and Zayn wave them off, teasing them to keep it down. They head upstairs to the apartment, Louis leading Harry into his bedroom. Instead of rose petals on the bed, there are two packed duffle bags sitting on the bed.

Harry’s brows furrow. “What is this?”

Louis can’t help the smile that splits his face. He takes Harry’s hands in his.

“I booked us a little weekend getaway. I already talked to your job about giving you tomorrow off and I packed you some things when you weren’t looking and snuck them out of your apartment.”

Harry’s eyes widen. He attempts to say something a few times, his mouth opening and closing shut. He lets out a breathy laugh.

“Oh my God!” He wraps his arms around Louis’ neck, kissing him. “Thank you, baby. I’m so excited! It’s been weeks since we’ve had a proper weekend together.”

“Since we just did something lowkey for your birthday and we’ve been swamped at work, I thought you deserved to be treated,” Louis explains, leaning in to kiss Harry again.

They load up the car. It’s pretty late but Louis wants to spend all of Friday and Saturday with Harry, uninterrupted, and the faster they get there the quicker they can make it happen.

The drive to the Grand Geneva Resort and Spa is almost two hours. They’re greeted at the front desk before Louis checks them into their room. 

“Wow, it’s beautiful,” Harry marvels when they enter their suite. And it really is. They have their own living room and dining area along with a view of the lake that Louis is sure will be breathtaking in the morning when the sun is out. 

Louis sets their bags aside and drops in the middle of the enormous bed that takes up most of the bedroom.

“Oh my God this is so comfortable, I’m never leaving.”

Harry joins him, moaning in agreement. He tilts his head to face Louis, the smile on his face still prominent.

“Thank you for bringing me here.”

Louis leans in to kiss him without another word, instead wanting to show Harry how much he loves him. He might not have said the three words he’s been wanting to say for weeks, but he hopes Harry can feel it with his actions and the way he takes care of him. Louis rolls on top of Harry, straddling his hips and lifting his shirt off, throwing it to the floor before resuming their kiss. Harry’s hands grip his ass, making him grind down instinctively.

Harry whines. “Take off your shirt, come on,” Louis orders moving to take off the rest of his own clothes. He retrieves the condoms and lube he’d packed in his duffle bag, returning to the bed with Harry in all his naked glory. Louis sets the items on the side table, sitting on top of his boyfriend again, licking into his mouth with so much desire he’s burning with it.

“You’re so hot. How did I get so lucky?” Louis breathes before going back in to take Harry’s lips between his teeth and nibbling them. He can’t get enough of Harry’s taste, his scent. Louis loves being surrounded by it, it’s like a drug he’ll always be addicted to.

Louis takes his time getting his mouth everywhere he can reach. Harry’s skin is warm, like it was made to have Louis’ lips all over it. He trails down Harry’s torso to the little hairs by his belly button. When Harry’s body twitches, Louis places a hand on his hip to keep him steady. He nuzzles his nose down Harry’s happy trail and licks a stripe down Harry’s cock.

“Fuck!” Harry groans, his back arching. He looks so out of it, his eyes shut tight and face flushed beautifully.

Louis presses on Harry’s hip harder before taking the tip of Harry’s dick in his mouth, savoring the saltiness of the precome that’s already leaked. He slides his tongue torturously slow around the slit, loving how responsive Harry is being. Louis can’t get enough of it, wanting to push Harry to the limit and see how much he can take.

“Turn around for me,” Louis says, licking his lips. 

Harry seems like he’s in a bit of a haze, but when he understands what Louis is asking he nods and rolls over on his tummy. Louis grabs a pillow and helps place it under Harry’s abdomen to make sure he’s comfortable.

“It is okay...can I try something? If you don’t like it, just tell me and we can stop,” Louis asks, unsure. He doesn’t know what it is, but there’s something about the way Harry’s body reacts that makes him want to try more things to see how he’ll respond.

Harry’s looking over his shoulder, his bottom lip stuck between his teeth and nods.

“I need you to say it out loud, baby.”

Louis can see the way Harry visibly swallows hard, his throat bobbing with the movement. He lets go of his lip, leaving teeth prints behind.

Harry clears his throat. “Yes, please. Do what you want with me,” he says. And the way he says it, in that needy, desperate voice, giving Louis the reins and trusting him to look after him, fuck. 

Louis lets out a slow breath to keep himself together. He leans down to kiss between Harry’s shoulder blades. “Thanks love. I’ll be right back.”

Since Louis wasn’t originally planning on doing this, he needs to improvise because he doesn’t have the items for what he wants to do so he’ll have to make it up as he goes. His eyes roam the room and he looks through their duffle bags, but then his eyes land on their scarves lying next to their coats. He takes them and shows them to Harry.

“Is it okay to use these to blindfold you and tie your hands together?”

Harry is nodding frantically before he even finishes asking. “Yes, yes. Oh God, yes.”

Louis chuckles and jumps into action, doing just that. He makes Harry turn back over onto his back before he starts with his wrists, instructing him to put them together above his head before using his scarf to tie them securely.

“Is this too tight?” Louis asks.

“No, it’s good,” Harry tells him, moving his wrists to test it out. 

Once that’s done, he moves on to the blindfold. Louis is careful not to get any of Harry’s hair caught while tying the scarf around his head. When he makes sure it’s secure he places a kiss on his lips.

“I need you to listen to me, Haz. If at any time you feel uncomfortable or like you want to stop, for  _ any _ reason, just say the word and we’ll stop.”

Harry licks his lips and nods. “Should we use a safe word?”

Louis hadn’t thought of that, but it’s not a bad idea. “We should. What would you like it to be?” He touches Harry’s thigh while he waits. 

Harry bites his lips together as he thinks about it. “How about cherry?”

“Is that what you want it to be?”

“Yes,” Harry confirms.

“Okay then, cherry it is. Say that if you ever want me to stop, even if you just need a break or something.” He taps Harry’s thigh before moving to get some ice.

“I will,” Harry says as Louis prepares what he needs.

Louis didn’t really have a plan, but now that he’s been given permission to take control, his mind won’t stop coming up with ideas of what he could do. He wants to take Harry apart, make him beg, see how far he can push him. He won’t go to extremes since they’re just starting out, but he does want Harry to enjoy himself.

He licks at Harry’s torso, from his collarbones down to his belly button circling around and around as a way to sort of warm him up. Harry is so responsive, he’s arching off the bed a bit and making the most beautiful sounds. It’s giving Louis the confidence he needs to keep going. Louis gets the ice cube that is already working on numbing his fingers and he places it on top of Harry’s belly button. Harry winces, twitching on the bed, but he doesn’t do anything else to stop him so he keeps going. Louis moves the ice cube up the trail he just created with his tongue, Harry’s body shivering with every inch of skin the ice cube touches. It’s fascinating to watch, Louis can’t keep his eyes off him and the way his body is flushed and his skin prickles.

Louis loses all inhibitions and just goes with his instincts, listening to the way Harry’s body reacts and letting that lead him. Harry’s hands pull against the restraints and he gasps, his lips shiny and red from biting them so hard. 

“You doing okay, sweetheart?” Louis checks in at one point.

Harry nods eagerly, and before Louis can tell him to use his words he’s already saying, “Yes, yes. I’m perfect. Keep going.”

So Louis does. He takes his time, making sure to learn every inch of Harry’s body. He experiences every move and sound he makes come out of him and he wants more. Louis spreads his thighs apart, his feet planted on the bed. Louis doesn’t miss the way his legs shake as he works his mouth up and down the sensitive part of his inner thighs and the way his dick twitches. He’s been working on touching everywhere but Harry’s cock, but he’s getting to a point where that’s all Louis wants.

Louis wraps a hand around Harry’s erection, giving him some relief, but not enough. He strokes him maddeningly slow, collecting the precome leaking out of the tip to get a bit of lubrication going. Harry whines, bucking his hips up a little, but Louis holds his hips down with his free hand and continues teasing him.

He finally decides to put him out of his misery so he swallows him down once before pulling off, almost gagging, but recovering pretty fast. Louis strokes him again, this time at a quicker pace to give Harry some relief. 

Louis stops after a while, not wanting Harry to come from this. Instead, a better idea pops into his head. He climbs on top of Harry, straddling his head and facing his crotch, and hovers above him.

“Let me know if this is too much for you,” he warns before lowering himself down enough so that his ass is nestled on top of Harry’s mouth.

At first Harry seems confused, due to the blindfold, but as soon as he realizes what’s happening he’s groaning, burying his face into Louis’ ass and eating him out like a starved man. It catches Louis off guard, making him jump at first, but then he gets in a more comfortable position for both of them, since Harry still has no use of his hands. He feels Harry’s amazing tongue teasing his entrance and he moans, tilting his head back in pure ecstasy. 

“Fuck! You’re so good at that,” Louis praises and Harry moans, burying his face deeper making him cry out.

As much as Louis doesn’t want to, he pulls off because he has more plans for them. He doesn’t miss the way Harry whines and normally he’d want to spank him for it but Louis himself is getting impatient, so he works fast on obtaining the lube and opening himself fast.

In the same direction Louis moves to straddle Harry’s hips. He rolls the condom on and lines himself up, sinking down slowly. Harry is big and no matter how many times they’ve been together, Louis will always feel breathless when he fills him up like this.

When they’re bottomed out, hip to hip, Louis steels himself for a moment, bracing himself by placing his hands on Harry’s thighs before he gets to work. He pushes himself up before sinking down again. The movement takes the breath out of him, making him groan, but he keeps going, harder and faster until he manages to build a good rhythm. 

Harry cries out every time their hips slap together and Louis joins him. It’s giving his prostate the perfect amount of pressure and he chases his orgasm that way. Before he knows it, Louis is coming untouched all over Harry’s legs. He pulls away from Harry, takes off the condom and Harry’s blindfold before sinking down and deep throating his cock as far as he can take it. Harry’s been so good for him, Louis wants to make him come hard. And he does. It doesn’t take more than a couple of sucks before Harry is spilling down his throat and Louis laps every last drop. 

Louis unties Harry’s wrists, kissing them and all over his face, murmuring praises and telling him how good he was.

“You’re amazing,” Louis whispers, continuing to pepper kisses all over Harry’s face. He wants to confess his love, knows right now would be the perfect time to say it. However, he doesn’t want to have Harry in such a vulnerable state where he feels forced to return the feeling, so he holds back.

Harry is smiling so content, “Thank you.”

They cuddle in bed as Louis strokes Harry’s hair. Eventually Harry wiggles in Louis’ arms to face him.

“Can we have another round where you fuck me this time?” Harry asks with hopeful eyes.

Louis smiles, kissing him on the forehead. “I’ve created a sex monster,” he says playfully. “Of course love. Anything you want.”

Harry smiles and leans in to kiss Louis, licking into his mouth, not wasting any time. It’s going to be a long night, and Louis is more than okay with that.

  
  


They don’t put an alarm on for the next morning. Louis has vague plans for their weekend, but nothing set in stone, open to just spending it holed in their room having sex and eating by the fireplace. Surprisingly Louis is the first one awake, Harry still warm and snoring softly in his arms. He feels bad that he has to disturb Harry by moving, but he really has to pee, so he does it as carefully as he can manage. After relieving himself, Louis quietly orders room service from the other room, letting the food cart in and tipping the bus boy.

When Louis returns to the bedroom, Harry is still sound asleep. It’s close to noon, which would be considered late, but they didn’t go to sleep until the wee hours of the morning due to their late night sexual tryst. Louis is tempted to have another go this morning, but he wants to show Harry’s ass some mercy for now.

Louis lays next to Harry, unable to help watch him sleep. His eyelids twitch while he slumbers, and he imagines what Harry could be dreaming about. Louis places a soft kiss on Harry’s nose and stares at him for a moment to see if he gets a reaction. There’s nothing, so this time he kisses him on the same spot again while running his fingers through Harry’s hair. Harry scrunches his nose, his lashes fluttering, but he still doesn’t open his eyes. Louis smiles, absolutely endeared by his boyfriend’s sleepy cuteness. He places another kiss, this time on his lips.

“Time to wake up, sleepy head. I’ve ordered breakfast.”

Harry opens one eye, then the other, mirroring Louis’ smile. “Is there coffee?” He quirks his eyebrow.

Louis chuckles. He pecks Harry on the lips again. “There’s coffee too.”

Before food, they shower since neither of them had the energy to do so last night. Louis helps Harry wash his hair and Harry does the same to him. They almost get caught up in each other, when they start making out after rinsing out all the suds off their heads. At that moment, Harry’s stomach growls loudly and Louis reluctantly pushes away.

“Let’s get some food in you first.”

Harry pouts, but shuts the water off anyway, handing Louis a dry towel before getting his own. The dining area of their suite is right by the window where the sun is filtering, shedding so much natural light they don’t need anything else. The view is gorgeous, just like Louis knew it would be, and they have their breakfast admiring it.

“So what are we doing today?” Harry asks once he’s drunk a cup of coffee. The sun shines against his skin, making him glow. 

Louis shakes himself out of his trance. “We have some options. I didn’t book anything, leaving it open for us to decide what we want to do. Or if you just want to stay in, that’d be fine with me too.”

Harry taps his lips with his index finger, deep in concentration as if the world depends on the choice he makes. Louis stares fondly.

“As much as I’d love to test out my skiing skills, I don’t want to be too tired to do other stuff…” Harry smirks, that deviant smile of his where Louis already knows he’s going to go with whatever he wants to do. “I’d rather stay in, have my way with you and if we find the time go out somewhere nice for dinner,” he announces with finality.

Louis is already feeling his blood rush to his crotch. He’s so on board with this plan.

  
  


Harry and Louis drive to the restaurant hand in hand. It’s not far at all from the hotel, and they’re happy to find that it’s laid back. Not many people are around, which could have a lot to do with the weather, but to Louis it’s a perfect way for him and Harry to have a nice dinner. The food exceeds their expectations, and Louis refuses to let Harry pay when he tries to take the check.

“This is my Valentine’s Day gift to you, so put that away.” Harry huffs but puts his wallet away anyway.

“That reminds me, I haven’t given you your gift,” Harry tells him. He pulls out his wallet again, taking something out of it. Whatever it is is tucked in Harry’s hand and Louis can’t see what it is. Harry grins. “I’m not a chocolates and flowers gifting kind of guy. I like to gift things that are meaningful and can be remembered for a long time.”

Harry places a silver key on the table in front of Louis. He stares at it, confused at first, not understanding what it is or what the meaning of it could be. When he looks up, Harry is eyeing him.

“It’s the key to my flat,” Harry tells him, answering Louis’ silent question. 

“Harry...I…” Louis is speechless. He loves this man so much that he wants to shout it inside this restaurant. His chest wants to burst with it. Instead he takes the key, feeling the weight of it in his hand, smiling back at Harry. “Thank you. I love it.”

Louis takes his keys and hook’s Harry’s apartment key to the rest of his set. “I’ll give you a copy of mine when we get home,” he tells Harry.

“You don’t have to just because I did it,” Harry insists.

“No, I want to. Been wanting to for a while now,” Louis admits.

If possible, Harry’s grin only gets bigger. He leans in to give Louis a chaste kiss on the lips before pulling away, but his gaze doesn’t move one bit. It’s like he’s staring into Louis’ soul looking for something, Louis wants to know what it is.

The ride back to the hotel is comfortably silent, both of them holding hands. Anticipation makes butterflies flutter in Louis’ stomach as they ride the elevator up to their floor. Louis slides in the key to unlock their door, opening it to let Harry in. As soon as he does, Louis can hear the gasp that escapes his lips.

“Oh my God,” Harry breathes.

Louis comes up behind Harry, wrapping his arms around his waist, kissing him on the neck and resting his chin on top of his left shoulder.

“I’m a man who loves to shower the people I care about with flowers and candy and also meaningful gifts too,” Louis whispers. He kisses Harry on the cheek and lets go of him as Harry explores the room.

There’s a cart with chocolate covered fruit and champagne, and rose petals are on the bed in the shape of a heart. It’s cheesy, Louis knows, but he wanted to do this for Harry.

Harry turns to face Louis, a smile on his lips. He places his hands on Louis’ shoulders, capturing his lips in a kiss. When he pulls away, there’s that look again, the same one from earlier today. Harry opens his mouth to say something and Louis holds his breath because he knows whatever he’s going to say it going to change their relationship. For good or bad, Louis isn’t quite sure.

“I love you, Louis. I’ve been thinking it for some time now, almost saying it a few times, but always hesitating, feeling scared. But something about this moment right now makes me feel like it’s the right time to finally tell you how I feel.” Harry’s eyes don’t stray from Louis as he confesses his love. His  _ love. _ Harry’s in love with Louis. Holy shit.

Louis’ heart is beating out of his chest, his face is getting hot and his fingers are trembling a bit. Louis has always been the first to tell someone he loves them and he’s made a point with Harry to wait even though he’s been feeling it for months now. But hearing Harry say the three words he’s been purposefully holding back, it’s the best feeling in the world. 

Louis kisses Harry. “I love you.” Another kiss this time to his cheek. “I love you.” A kiss to his other cheek. “I love you.” A kiss on Harry’s nose. “I love you.” And a final kiss to his forehead. “God, Harry, I love you.”

Harry laughs, a joyful one Louis wishes he could record and replay over and over, and then they’re kissing again. This time the kiss feels different because everything is different between them now. It’s like a dam has broken and all this love between them they’ve been holding back is flowing out of them. Louis can feel it. He feels it with every kiss, every touch, every breath and he hopes Harry feels it too.

That night they don’t just have sex, they make love. Louis shows Harry with the imprints of his kisses, touching his skin tenderly like he’s valuable treasure he wants to care for as long as he’ll let him. Louis feels Harry’s love too, with the way his thrusts push into him and the caresses that make Louis’ skin prickle with desire. It’s one of the most special nights Louis has ever experienced in his life, and when they lay in bed with Harry wrapped in Louis’ arms, he closes his eyes and savors this feeling hoping this is it. This is forever.

  
  
  


The next morning they wake up early to hit the road back home. They stop by a diner halfway to their destination, both of them still floaty from last night’s declarations of love. Louis can’t keep his hands off Harry, always needing to touch him in some way, whether it’s holding hands or having their legs tangled together under the table. When they get closer to the apartment, they agree for Harry to spend the night, not wanting to be apart just yet.

Louis manages to find parking close to his building and unloads the car, offering to carry both his and Harry’s bags up the stairs. He drops the bags by his feet when they reach the door, digging into his pocket for his key, remembering that he needs to make a copy for Harry before twisting the lock to open it.

Harry and Louis stop in their tracks as soon as they take a step inside. Liam is on the couch, wrapped in a blanket passed out. There are used tissues littered all over along with empty bottles of beer and a half empty bottle of whiskey. Harry and Louis exchange a worried glance at each other.

“Here, let me take the bags to the bedroom so you can wake him up,” Harry offers, taking the bags from Louis’ hands and disappearing into the room. Louis kneels in front of Liam, gently stroking his arm before shaking him slowly.

“Li, wake up. You’re going to hurt your back on this couch,” Louis whispers softly.

Liam’s eyes flutter open and the first thing Louis sees is the way they’re bloodshot, like he hasn’t slept in days. It had only been a couple of days that Harry and Louis were gone and last time they saw him Liam was fine, perfectly happy even. Liam seems to realize that Louis is in front of him and he jumps into a sitting position, his eyes darting to the mess in front of him.

“Louis! Sorry, I was going to have this cleaned up by the time you got home. Must have fallen asleep.” Liam rubs at his eyes.

“Don’t worry about it. Why are you out here?” Louis asks. He can see Harry coming out of the bedroom behind Liam, watching quietly.

Liam’s eyes meet Louis’ and his face falls into pure devastation. His lip trembles and Louis stands to sit next to him and wrap his arm around Liam.

“Zayn,” Liam rasps, his eyes spilling tears. He sniffs, wiping his nose with the back of his hand. “Zayn’s gone. He, um… he called off the wedding and left.” He buries his head in Louis’ shoulder.

Louis’ stomach drops, he has a feeling he may know where Zayn’s gone off to. Harry joins them on the couch, settling on Liam’s other side offering a comforting hand as well.

“Why did he call off the wedding?” Louis asks carefully, already dreading the answer.

Liam shrugs. “When we got home after our double date on Valentine’s Day, there was a message on the answering machine so I played it. Turns out Zayn had applied to this art fellowship in Los Angeles and never told me about it. He got accepted to it and shit blew up. Zayn went on about how he’s been having doubts about getting married and it turned into him listing off things he wants to do and how he feels like I’m holding him back.”

Louis rubs Liam’s back while Liam pulls out Zayn’s engagement ring, staring at it and breaking into another sob. 

“He just packed up his things and left, just like that. Without even looking back.”

Harry and Louis stare at each other over Liam’s head, exchanging sad looks. Louis feels awful. He’d just come back from having such a magical weekend with the man he loves only to find out that while he was exchanging ‘I love you’s’ with Harry, Liam was getting his heart shattered into a million pieces. 

“I’m so sorry, Liam,” is all Louis can bring himself to say. He doesn’t think that telling him that Zayn had confided in him about this fellowship would do anyone any good. Besides, Louis told Zayn time and time again to talk to Liam and he chose to ignore his advice. He can’t believe Zayn would hurt Liam like this, it angers Louis to no end. But right now, it’s not about his feelings, it’s about Liam and the broken heart Louis will help him mend back together.

At that moment, Niall bursts through the door with a bag full of Ben and Jerry’s ice cream.

“Hey Liam, I came as soon as I got your message.” Niall’s face looks sympathetic. He plops himself on the coffee table across from Liam after moving some of the empty bottles out of the way, and pulls out a couple of cigars from his jacket. “Let’s get shit faced, eat loads of junk food and smoke until our tongues feel fuzzy. Then, I’m going to make you shower, and put on the hottest set of clothes you own before I take you out on the town so you can begin to move on.”

Liam sniffs, eyeing Niall’s bag. “Did you get me Half Baked?”

Niall smiles, pulling out a pint from the bag. “Well, of course.”

A hint of a smile appears on Liam’s face.

“There we go!” Harry encourages. “There’s that gorgeous smile of yours.” He rubs the back of Liam’s head.

They spend the day together, watching shitty television, eating junk food and just being with each other. They don’t worry about tomorrow, instead they focus on the present, helping Liam take it one moment at a time.


	5. Chapter 5

**March 2019**

The first few weeks after Zayn leaves aren’t just difficult for Liam, but for Louis and Harry as well. They find themselves being less affectionate with each other when Liam is around, not wanting to flaunt their relationship in his face. Louis doesn’t miss Liam’s whimpered sobs when he goes to the bathroom in the middle of the night, or the way that he’s been drinking a lot more than usual lately.

They all try to do what they can to help their friend. Harry cleans up the apartment and makes home cooked meals when he’s able to, making sure Liam is eating. Niall forces Liam to get out of his sweats and go down to Benny’s to get him to talk to people. Louis tries to be the best roommate he can be by making sure their apartment is stocked with food, buying milk when it runs out, throwing out the trash and replacing the toilet paper roll when it’s empty. They’re silly mundane things, but they don’t want Liam worrying about anything.

It’s been almost a month when Louis reaches his breaking point. It’s Friday and he’s arrived home from one of the worst days he’s had in a while. Simon demeaned him at every opportunity he got, especially during their meeting with a client. Louis was forced to suck it up and just take it, but as soon as he was behind the walls of his private office he knocked over a few things from his desk, and then felt guilty and picked them back up. Needless to say, Louis was exhausted and his tolerance for bullshit nonexistent. 

When Louis arrives home he finds Liam in nothing but a t-shirt and boxers slumped in front of his laptop, staring at it with wide manic eyes. His head snaps up when he hears Louis come in.

“Li, what are you doing?” Louis asks, looking over Liam’s shoulder to see the screen. It’s a page showing Liam’s credit card account statement.

Liam points at the screen. “Zayn has checked into a hotel on Wacker, Louis. I have to find him and tell him I want to get back together.” He stands, searching around the room for something.

“Liam, don’t do that. If Zayn wanted you to know he was back in Chicago, he would call or stop by,” Louis says, trying to talk Liam down.

Liam disappears into his room and comes back out with a pair of pants, balancing on one foot to put his leg through them.

“No, no. I need to see him, Louis. We have to work our shit out,” Liam insists. He grabs his keys and wallet, heading toward the door, but Louis blocks his way, his back hitting the doorknob.

“I can’t let you go like this.”

“Why not? I need Zayn to hear me out, to work on our relationship.”

Liam is staring at Louis and he doesn’t recognize his own friend. Gone is the Liam he met in college freshman year when they were roomed together. They didn’t get along at first because Louis thought Liam was a pretentious asshole, but that quickly changed one night when he walked into their dorm room and his roommate was lighting a bowl. They’d been inseparable ever since. This Liam though, he’s a shell of the man he used to be and Louis doesn’t think he likes him very much. So the entire shitty day Louis’ had and weeks of seeing his best friend being miserable have all boiled down to this moment.

“Because you’re  _ pathetic!” _ Louis’ face heats up, his hand covering his mouth as soon as the words come out. Liam flinches at Louis’ outburst and it only makes him feel shittier.

“Fuck, Liam, I’m sorry I didn’t mean that. I just, what I mean is that you don’t want the first time Zayn sees you to be like this.” He gestures at Liam’s appearance. “Your hair is greasy and I think there’s some cheetos residue and you haven’t showered or shaved in days. If you want to work shit out with Zayn, you have to make sure you’re ready and right now I don’t think you are.”

Liam lets out a sigh and self consciously runs a hand through his hair, probably trying to feel for any food crumbs.

“Look, I appreciate what you guys have done for me. I know I haven’t been the best company to be around. But Zayn is right here in Chicago, and this could be my one and only chance to talk to him and try working things out with him.” Liam’s eyes are sincere and so vulnerable, Louis doesn’t have any more fight left in him. Instead, he moves out of the way and lets Liam walk out the door.

Louis texts Harry and Niall letting them know he needs a drink and they agree to meet downstairs in half an hour. He gets out of his work clothes, runs the hottest shower he can manage, making sure to scrub the entire day off him. Louis tries not to think about Liam and the possibility that he might get his heart broken again, instead he gets dressed in the most comfortable pair of sweats he owns and heads to Benny’s. Harry and Niall are already at their booth, a pint of beer waiting for him.

Harry rubs his back as soon as he sits next to him and he takes a gulp of his drink, savoring the way it quenches his thirst. He can already feel his shoulders start to relax. Louis tells Harry and Niall what went down with Liam and they both stare with wide eyes. Now that they both know, Louis is suddenly desperate to change the subject. He can’t stand the thought that Liam is probably having his heart broken all over again in some hotel right now. Harry and Niall indulge him, and they start talking about how spring is right around the corner and they can’t wait for the snow to be gone for good. Somehow they end up with Niall making his best movie character impressions with Harry and Louis looking on rather impressed at their friend’s hidden talent. 

Louis offers to get the next round, going up to the bar and fetching the drinks. When he’s heading back to their booth, Niall and Harry are staring at something behind him, so he sets the drinks down on the table and turns around. Liam is walking into the bar, his hands shoved into the front pockets of his hoodie and a neutral expression on his face. He sits with the rest of them and Louis offers him his drink, which he takes gratefully.

“So, that wasn’t Zayn who checked into the hotel,” Liam explains. “I got there, thinking about everything I wanted to say, my stomach sinking the closer I got. When I got to the room, they told me he was in, it wasn’t Zayn that answered.”

“Wait, so Zayn was at the hotel with someone else?” Harry asks.

Liam shakes his head. “No. Turns out the guy had stolen Zayn’s credit card back in Los Angeles and somehow ended up here,” he says with a shrug.

“I’m so sorry, Liam,” Louis offers. He wishes he had something more comforting to say to his friend, but Louis isn’t doing so well with words today.

“It’s fine. You were right, Louis. I think it’s time for me to stop wallowing and start living my life again. I’ve got to learn how to do it without Zayn, no matter how painful and hard it will be. He’s doing it, on his own across the country, so I should be able to do it too.”

Niall pats him on the shoulder and kisses him on the forehead. “I’ll be more than happy to be your wingman!”

Liam snorts. “I don’t think I’m quite ready for that just yet, but when I am, I’ll make sure to let you know.”

Niall beams and orders a round of shots for them to toast to new beginnings in celebration of Liam’s realization. Louis thinks he’s starting to see traces of the old Liam again.

  
  
  


Liam slows down on his drinking almost instantly (except for the mini celebration they had at Benny’s) and he does some spring cleaning in the apartment. He gets rid of Zayn’s stuff, boxing it all up, and Louis helps him move them downstairs into their assigned storage room. Niall insists they all go shopping for Liam to get a brand new wardrobe as part of him moving on, which they go along with. They go to the mall and let Niall act like Tan France, going through rack after rack of clothes placing it against Liam’s chest to determine if it will work or not.

They end up having a lot of fun, actually. Once Niall’s gathered so many clothes they can’t carry anymore, they go to the changing rooms where Louis and Harry sit on one of the couches provided as they wait for Liam to make his way out. Liam comes out of the changing room with the first outfit, a red suede jacket with a plain black t-shirt underneath and navy blue pin striped slacks. He seems nervous at first, but by the fourth outfit he’s walking toward them like he’s on a runway even going as far as doing a little twirl at the end. Louis and Harry whistle and clap while Niall comes out at the end taking a bow like a designer would do at the end of a fashion show. They leave the mall with more bags than they can carry, filling Louis’ trunk so much that they have to carry some of the bags in the back seat with them. 

In honor of Liam’s new wardrobe, Niall proposes they go out to the club to dance, insisting that they haven’t been out like this since New Year’s. They all agree, and put on their best clothes to go out. Louis’ going for his favorite pair of skinny jeans and scooped neck shirt and Harry decides to give Louis a heart attack with the tight ass leather pants he’s got on and the sheer red button up shirt. They all howl and whistle when Liam appears with one of his new outfits, making him blush furiously.

They take an Uber downtown to the club, and luckily with Niall being a DJ at one of the most popular radio stations in the Chicagoland area, they’re able to forgo the long line and get into a VIP booth. The music is so loud it makes Louis’ ears ring, but it makes him forget everything that has to do with work and the shitty week he’s had there. He focuses instead on his hot ass boyfriend who is swaying his hips to the beat of Billie Eilish’s “Bury a Friend” and he can’t help but come up behind him, placing his hands on his waist and breathing him in. He’s already getting sweaty and they haven’t even been here for half an hour. Louis doesn’t know how long he can last with a sweaty Harry without pouncing on him in front of everyone. They dance like this for a couple of songs before Niall calls them so they can do shots together. There’s a guy sitting next to Niall that Louis has never seen before.

“Hi, I’m Louis, who are you?”

The man smiles and waves. “I’m Jordan, Niall’s co-worker. Nice to meet you.” Harry greets him as well and they all toast and take a shot of Grey Goose.

“Damn that’s smooth,” Harry says before putting the shot glass down.

Harry pulls Louis up to his feet, wanting to dance again, and he follows him to the dance floor. Being surrounded by so many people forces them to get impossibly closer, which Louis isn’t complaining about. He pulls Harry in by the waist, they’re chest to chest breathing each other in. They grind against each other to the music, Harry placing his arms around Louis’ neck, whining in Louis’ ear. Louis swallows hard and it takes everything in him not to take Harry into the bathroom and have his way with him. 

“Drunk in Love” comes on, and Louis and Harry stare into each other’s eyes as they grind against each other’s groins, gasping every time their erections make contact. Harry bites his bottom lip, closing his eyes and tilting his head back giving Louis all access to his beautiful, milky smooth neck. Louis kisses him there, biting down gently before licking over it and sucking again.

“Fuck, Lou. You’re driving me crazy,” Harry whispers in his ear, making Louis shiver.

Louis’ hands trail down to Harry’s ass and he pulls him closer, so he can feel his erection. “This is what you do to me every single day,” he nearly growls into Harry’s ear. “Always so hard for you, baby.”

“Shit, come on.” Harry grabs Louis’ hand and tugs him along through the crowd. Louis has no idea where they’re going, but he knows he’ll go wherever Harry wants.

They end up in one of the bathroom stalls at the far end of the bathroom, Harry locking it behind him as he watches Louis with hungry eyes. He surges towards Louis, licking into his mouth while his hands slide down to his ass and grabs it possessively. Louis groans, tilting his head back, hitting it against the wooden door and Harry latches onto his neck, biting so hard he’ll undoubtedly leave a mark. 

Harry drops down to his knees, gazing up at Louis. “I need to taste you,” he pants while undoing Louis’ zipper and taking him out of his briefs. In one swoop, he’s swallowing him down. The heat and tightness of Harry’s mouth is overwhelming, Louis needs to bite his fist to keep himself from being too loud. Louis is in a public bathroom at a club getting his dick sucked by the most beautiful man he’s ever seen. He can’t believe this is his life.

It takes no time for Louis to come and he’d normally be embarrassed, but then Harry is licking every trace of come like he’s starved for it. Louis helps Harry to his feet, pushing him against the wall and kissing him. They groan as he tastes himself on Harry’s lips and his hand travels down to his crotch. Louis freezes, pulling back to stare at Harry.

“Did you?” Louis asks, feeling Harry’s soft dick.

If Harry weren’t already flushed he’d be blushing, he smirks. “Yeah. Couldn’t help it, you’re so hot when you get off.” He leans in to take Louis’ mouth again.

After cooling down and cleaning up, Harry and Louis go back to join their friends at the VIP table, but there isn’t anyone there. Louis grabs them a couple of water bottles while they scan the area for any sight of their friends.

Harry gasps and nudges Louis on the arm. “Look.” He points toward a specific area in the dance floor. Louis doesn’t see anything at first, but then he has to do a double tack.

“No fucking way,” Louis says. Liam is dancing with Jordan and he is all crinkle eyed with a wide grin on his face. Jordan has his hands on Liam’s hips and they’re moving to the music. It’s the first time in the past month that Louis has seen Liam look happy. Louis can’t help but smile.

“They’re cute together,” Harry comments.

“They are.”

When they’ve all decided they’re ready to go home, they stumble out of the club to wait for their Uber. Harry’s hanging off Louis, Niall and his lady friend won’t stop making out, and Jordan has his arm around Liam’s waist. A mini van pulls up and Louis offers to ride shotgun while the rest of the group piles into the back. Harry pops his head in between the driver and passenger seat to be closer to Louis.

They arrive at Liam and Louis’ apartment first since it’s the closest, so Louis helps Harry and Liam get out since they’re drunker than he is. Somehow Harry manages to trip over his own foot so Louis has to keep him from hitting the pavement.

“Liam, can I have your number?” Jordan asks as Liam is stepping off the van.

It surprises Louis how little Liam hesitates before he’s taking Jordan’s phone to type in his number. He gives it back with a smile. “Good night.”

“Am I dreaming?” Louis asks as they climb the steps to their floor. Harry pinches the inside of Harry’s arm close to his armpit. “Ouch!”

“You’re not,” Harry says with a grin.

Louis is too endeared to even be upset about it.

  
  
  


Spring arrives and with it comes an abundance of work for everyone in their group. Louis has countless meetings with their client about the project they’ve been working on. It’s been rough because Simon has pushed back with the client many times, which is something you aren’t supposed to do. It must be Simon’s accomplishments that lets him get away with so many things Louis would never dream of doing to his clients, but whatever, it’s not his company anyway. 

Liam has a big case that begins court at the beginning of April and they hardly see him. Sometimes at night Louis will see him sneaking in trying not to make too much noise, but he doesn’t make an appearance at Benny’s for weeks. It all pays off at the end, when Liam wins the case for his client. That day, Liam texts their group chat letting them know that they’re going out to celebrate and he doesn’t want to hear any excuses from anyone.

They go to Cesar’s Killer Margaritas for dinner and even Jordan joins them to toast to Liam’s hard work and successful case. Louis isn’t sure how it’s been going with Jordan, but by the looks of it he seems happy and that’s all that matters.

Harry gets chosen to cover David Blaine’s next stunt that is taking place in downtown Chicago. It’s been all the talk wherever they go since he announced it to the public via a press conference Harry was assigned to attend and preparation is already underway. Apparently he’s going to be sitting in a glass box suspended on a tower for 44 days with only water. How he’ll manage to get through that without food, neither of them know, which is one of the many causes of fascination with the entire ordeal.

However any of them feel about it doesn’t matter, because they’re all happy and supportive of their friend. This is Harry’s biggest story to date, and they all go downtown to watch the magician out of curiosity and to support Harry.

“Wow, he’s really just sitting in a glass box. For some reason I thought it’d be more entertaining,” Niall says.

Louis nudges Niall. “Shut up Niall. We’re not here for David Blaine, we’re here to support Harry. This is the biggest story he’s covered so far.”

“This is the biggest? Oof, poor guy.” Niall looks up at David again. “Well, we all have to start somewhere, right?”

When David accomplishes his grand feat, he’s taken into an ambulance. The guy looks gaunt and like he’s close to passing out. He had to be held upright by two people on his team or else he would have fallen face first. After the ambulance drives away and Harry wraps up for the day, they go back to Benny’s. They make a toast to Harry’s biggest story so far and to many more to come. 

  
  


Niall runs into Benny’s one evening with an excited look on his face.

“You guys, guess what?”

They all jump at Niall’s sudden appearance, staring at him expectantly.

“This year our radio station is hosting Six Flag Great America’s grand opening. There’s going to be some performances and best of all, I got you guys admissions to the park!”

“Ooh, who’s performing? Beyonce? Fleetwood Mac?” Harry asks, eyes wide.

Niall snorts. “Harry please, get your head out of your ass. These type of events aren’t that big and we usually book more low profile artists. We have Julia Michaels, Years & Years, and that girl that won The Voice… I forget her name.”

They laugh and start teasing Niall about how he’s supposed to be on the radio and doesn’t even know people’s names.

“Alright, enough. So are you guys in?”

Everyone looks at each other with grins on their faces and nod in unison.

The day of, they load up Louis’ car with towels, sunscreen, and a cooler full of beer, sandwiches and snacks because they’re all too cheap to buy food inside the park. Louis does promise that they’ll have to buy a funnel cake sundae since Harry’s never tried one. He’s also never been to Six Flags, so Louis wants to make sure he does everything in his power to make sure Harry has the time of his life.

It isn’t a long drive, just shy of an hour with the traffic. Niall is set to meet them at the park since he had to be there early with his crew to set up. Niall and his co-workers have rotating shifts so that they’re each able to enjoy some time in the park with their friends or families as well. Niall got the late morning/early afternoon shift off so he’s going to join the group at the water park before heading out to the parking lot for lunch.

It’s the second to last week of April and the day is as gorgeous as it can be. The sun is shining, and the weather is supposed to reach as high as the low 80’s. That’s the thing about Chicago weather, one day it can feel like summer and the next day there could be a blizzard. Harry has learned that first hand in the first few months living here.

They agree to go ride some roller coasters first before the lines get too long later in the day, starting with the Superman Ultimate Flight and working their way around the park. Louis loves roller coasters, always has since he was tall enough to be allowed to ride in them. Harry, on the other hand, doesn’t seem to be the biggest fan. He keeps fidgeting when they’re in line and he screams bloody murder when the ride begins. Louis does his best to comfort him by holding his hand and rubbing his back. By the third roller coaster he’s starting to look a little green, so Louis suggests they head over to the water park side.

They seemed to have chosen the perfect time to explore the water park because the sun is beating down on them and it’s getting a lot warmer. They put more sunscreen on before shoving their shirts and other items in a locker. The lazy river is glorious and Harry, Louis, Liam and Jordan spend a lot of their time on it just letting the current take them. Jordan and Harry decide they want to get on some of the slides, so they get to it while Liam and Louis continue relaxing on the river.

“So… Jordan is nice,” Louis pipes up. He’s been dying to know more about the nature of Liam and Jordan’s relationship, but with work being so busy and Louis not being able to get many moments alone with his best friend, it’s been hard to get anything out of him.

Liam smiles, nodding. “He is.”

Louis wants to groan because Liam isn’t being very helpful. “Do you like him?”

Louis is on his stomach lying on the tube facing Liam, while Liam is on his back. He’s got his sunglasses on so Louis can’t see what they’re doing, but he does see a trace of a blush dusting his cheeks. 

“I do. He’s really chill and down to earth. I feel like I can talk to him about anything and he just goes with the flow,” Liam says.

“Have you… are you guys like dating or just hanging out as friends?” Louis asks, splashing some water around trying to be nonchalant. He’s pretty sure he’s failing.

Liam chuckles. “I’m not sure? I think we’re dating because we hang out a lot and we’ve kissed, but it hasn’t gone further than that. I’m not… I don’t think I’m ready for that yet.”

Louis nods. “That’s understandable. What makes you unsure? Have you guys not had the talk?”

Liam shakes his head. “We haven’t. He hasn’t brought it up and I haven’t wanted to. I like where we are and I don’t want anything to change right now.”

“As long as he’s not pressuring you to do anything, whatever you decide is good with me,” Louis tells him.

“Okay, dad,” Liam deadpans. 

Right as Liam is finished talking, Jordan and Harry return breathless, jumping into the water to join them. Harry plants a kiss on Louis’ lips.

“I can’t believe you’re scared of roller coasters, but are willing to go down those monstrous slides,” Louis tells him.

Harry cackles. “Those slides don’t have me hanging upside down at any point in time.”

Louis shakes his head fondly. “What am I going to do with you?”

“The party is here, bitches!” Niall shouts when he sees them. He’s wearing the brightest neon green swim trunks Louis’ ever seen. Even with his sunglasses on, he’s squinting at the sight.

When Niall arrives, they get on some water rides and join the wave pool. About an hour later, they all agree it’s time to head out to get some food. They get stamps on their hands on their way out so that they can get back in to continue enjoying the rest of their day. They hang out by Louis’ car, pulling out some picnic chairs, tearing into their sandwiches and drinking beer.

“What time does Julia Michaels perform? I don’t want to miss it,” Harry asks Niall.

“She’s set to get on at around 4.”

When they finish eating, Niall insists on riding some roller coasters and Louis doesn’t miss the look of dread on Harry’s face, so he takes his hand and squeezes it comfortingly. Louis makes sure to peck Harry on the lips before the start of each ride to help ease some of his nerves, and when the ride ends he kisses him again and tells him he did a great job. It seems to help Harry a bit, because by the time they’re on their fourth roller coaster, he seems less nervous and more upbeat about it.

Eventually Niall has to head back. Harry and Louis end up parting ways from Jordan and Liam, agreeing to meet up for Julia’s show later in the afternoon. Harry and Louis get on the less stressful rides, like the 3D movie with moving seats that makes it feel as if you’re there with the characters. They also ride some flying chairs and bumper cars. Louis ends up winning Harry a big stuffed dinosaur that he hauls around the park proudly.

They make a pitstop at the funnel cake shop and Lous orders a strawberry funnel cake for them to share. Harry ends up loving it, just like Louis knew he would. By the time they’re finished, it’s time for them to head over to Julia’s concert. They spot Liam and Jordan and stand near them and enjoy the show. Niall introduces her and the crowd cheers before Julia joins the stage and begins her set. 

Louis spends most of the show watching Harry and the way he sings along to every song he knows by heart. By this point, his cheeks are flushed with a hint of sunburn, and he’s still ethereal. Louis can’t bring himself to look away.

After the show, they continue their trek through the rest of the park until the sun goes down. They head back toward the front of the park because Liam and Jordan want to catch the parade. Louis and Harry separate from the group, instead going on a ride that takes them hundreds of feet up in the air overlooking the entire park. The view is incredible, and just as they reach the very top fireworks begin to explode. Blasts of orange, green, blue, and every color they can think of decorate the night sky. 

Harry rests his head on Louis’ shoulder as the ride begins to descent slowly back down.

“I’ve had the best time today,” Harry says.

“Yeah?” Louis glances at his boyfriend who’s already staring at him.

“Mmhm. Especially because I got to spend it with you.”

Louis plants a kiss on Harry’s lips and they hum contentedly as they continue to admire the view.

  
  
  


“I want to do something special for Memorial Day this year,” Liam announces one evening while they’re having drinks at Benny’s.

They normally go to the beach and have a cookout every year, so Louis isn’t sure what Liam means by something special.

“What do you mean?” Harry asks before Louis has a chance to.

“My parents have a lakehouse up in Wisconsin and they said we can use it for the weekend. Maybe we can all go, do some water skiing, build a bonfire, all the good stuff,” Liam explains.

“That’s actually not a bad idea. I’m down,” Niall says.

“Me too. I could use a weekend getaway,” Louis pipes up.

Liam lights up at their responses. He claps his hands. “Great! Jordan loves the idea too. It’s going to be fun!”

They pack up Liam and Louis’ cars with everything they think they’ll need. Since Liam’s parents don’t live at the lakehouse full time, it’s only stocked with non perishables, so they had to do some shopping for enough food for five men and Niall’s companion. The house is located in the middle of nowhere and the nearest Walmart is nearly an hour away, so they make sure they’re not missing anything before they hit the road.

The house is massive when they pull up to the driveway. It’s a two story white house with a wrap around porch and a swing in the front.

“How come I’ve never known of this lakehouse? Been keeping it from me for this long?” Louis accuses as they pop the trunk and unload everything.

“My parents just bought it last fall, which is why I told you about it as soon as the weather started getting nicer.”

The inside has an antique feel to it with hardwood floors and furniture Louis is sure he’s seen at his grandmother’s house.

“Pick any room except the master,” Liam tells them. “And try for the farthest one away from me, I don’t want to be kept up all night with your sex noises.”

Louis flips him off as he and Harry walk away to explore the house and find a room. They settle on the room that has a view of the lake because it was Harry’s favorite. There’s a fluffy queen sized bed with a pink duvet and white roses on it. Louis places their bags on top of it as he checks the rest of the space. Luckily they have their own little bathroom with a shower and everything. The view of the lake is rather beautiful, so Louis doesn’t mind it one bit.

Harry unpacks their bags and puts their clothes away in the dresser drawers.

“I’m going to go help put the food away before Niall opens and picks at everything,” he tells Harry before pecking him on the lips and heading out. He passes by the master bedroom and instinctively looks inside, catching Liam and Jordan in the middle of a kiss. Louis averts his eyes and continues on his way, pretending he hasn’t seen anything. He finds it sweet that they’re still hanging out and obviously enjoying each other’s company.

Louis hears the faint complaints of Niall’s weekend companion, Jenny he thinks is her name. She’s whining to Niall about something in their room and can hear his friend sigh and follow her back into the room to see what she’s talking about. He takes advantage of Niall’s absence to go through the grocery bags and put things in their place. They plan to do some grilling for dinner after they spend some time out in the water. They had all pitched in to rent a pontoon boat, some jet skis and a boat for water skiing and they plan to make the most of it.

He leaves out the things they need to make some sandwiches, and starts getting them together so they have something to eat before hitting the lake. Harry joins him and helps him prepare the food. It’s like everyone in the house can sense there’s food ready, they start trickling into the kitchen and grabbing sandwiches and settling on stools.

“I was thinking maybe we can take the pontoon boat out, pack up some beer and snacks and just explore the lake for a bit,” Liam says with a mouthful of food.

They do just that. The sun is out, but it isn’t too strong. Jenny is lying out in the sun on the back area of the boat while the rest of them drink and just talk. It’s like any day at Benny’s except they’ve got the lake in the background.

“I propose to have at least one weekend at this lakehouse a month this summer,” Louis says lifting up his beer before sipping it.

“Maybe we can do something for 4th of July. My parents will be visiting family for that.”

“Ooh my first American Independence Day. Can’t wait,” Harry says.

Niall pulls out the bluetooth speaker and puts some music on. They stop in a more secluded area of the lake so they can go for a swim now that the afternoon sun is beating hotter. Niall tries to get Jenny to join them but she refuses, claiming she doesn’t want to get in the murky water and catch something. Niall just rolls his eyes and joins the rest of the group in the water.

“Should have brought someone that actually enjoys the outdoors,” Louis comments.

Niall snorts. “Next time I won’t think with my dick when asking a girl out for the weekend.”

Dinner is a team effort with Liam taking over the grill, Jordan helping him season the meats, and Harry and Louis setting up everything else. Niall has disappeared somewhere, though they don’t have to think much about it to figure out what he and Jenny might be up to. Conveniently enough, they come back out to join them when most of the meat is cooked and ready to be served.

They all settle down on the patio, watching as the sun begins setting. There’s just something about being outside of the city without all the noise and stress that comes with it. Here, all Louis can hear is the buzzing of the cicadas and the chirping of the crickets, and it’s calming. 

The rest of the weekend is full of water activities and barbeques out on the patio. Jenny seems uninterested in most of the group activities, so they don’t see much of Niall. 

On Sunday night, they make a bonfire out in the sand, wanting to end their weekend with a bang. They roast marshmallows and get all the fixings to make s’mores together. Harry claims he’s never tried them before, so Louis makes it his mission to make the perfect s’more for him. Harry takes a bite, chewing carefully and not giving anything away until he suddenly groans.

“This is so fucking good,” Harry says, taking another bite. His lips get sticky and there’s melted chocolate on the corner of his mouth. Louis reaches to wipe it off, licking his finger off with it.

“I told you.”

Niall pulls out his guitar, messing around with it and playing covers of some of their favorite songs. They sing along to them, bundling in the fleece blankets they brought out. Louis may have stolen one of Harry’s sweaters as well. 

Louis can’t help but observe Liam and Jordan together. They’ve been inseparable all weekend, not holding back on the PDA like they normally do back home. Jordan seems to really care for Liam, making him a s’more, showing him how to ride a jet ski, or just staring at him fondly. It’s not the same as it was with Zayn at all, but Jordan and Liam are just starting to get to know each other. Louis is curious about how Liam feels about Jordan and whether things are getting serious between them. By the looks of it, that seems to be the case.

Harry nudges Louis, burrowing his face in his shoulder. He lifts his head up, looking at Louis with furrowed brows.

“Is that my sweater?” Harry asks. Louis wants to kiss the confused look off his face.

Louis shrugs. “Maybe.”

Harry’s eyes turn into playful slits for a few seconds, before they go back to normal. He leans in to whisper in his ear.

“I like you in my clothes. It’s hot.”

Louis bites his lip to keep himself from grinning. He’s enjoyed his weekend so much, he’s reluctant to go back home where work and the real world await him. Louis lets out a sigh, staring at the fire and letting it soothe his nerves. He’ll worry about those things tomorrow.

Everyone is subdued on the drive back to Chicago. Except for Jenny, who’s perky and more talkative than Louis has heard her all weekend. Liam informed Louis he was going to Jordan’s for the night, so the rest of the group had to ride in Louis’ car. When they get to the apartment, Niall and Jenny take a cab who knows where. Louis convinces Harry to spend the night, so they gather their bags before heading up to the apartment.

Louis drops one of the bags by the last steps and he grunts, picking it up. His phone begins ringing while he’s unlocking the door, so he drops all the bags when they get inside so he can reach in his pocket to answer it, not bothering to check who’s calling.

“Hello?” Louis answers, breathless from all the stairs.

“Um, hi Louis,” the voice on the other end greets.

Louis’ stomach drops. It’s been months since he’s heard that voice.

“Zayn?”


	6. Chapter 6

**June 2019**

Louis glances at his phone to make sure his GPS brought him to the right address. He’s in a shady part of the city that he normally avoids driving through. Just on his way to this street, he’s had a couple of people try to stop him to ask for money with breath that reeked of vodka. He had to park a block away because this is Chicago and getting a spot in front of the building you’re going to is considered a miracle.

He finds the number he’s looking for and presses the buzzer. There’s something sticky on it, so Louis grabs his hand sanitizer when there’s a click on the door and it parts open.

Zayn’s got bags under his eyes and has stubble that looks days old. He smiles at Louis, but it doesn’t reach his eyes, he looks more nervous than anything. After letting Louis in, he follows Zayn up the steps to the second floor. Calling this place an apartment would be overselling it. Zayn is basically staying in a room, with a stove that seems to also be a refrigerator and a tiny sink. Louis had no idea these sort of places even existed.

“Make yourself at home,” Zayn tells him, but Louis isn’t sure what he means really.

There’s a mattress in the middle of the room and no room for anything else. So, Louis takes his jacket off, folding it and placing it at the corner of the bed before sitting on it.

“Do you want anything to drink? I can make some coffee?” Zayn offers.

Louis glances at the “kitchen,” trying his best not to grimace at the state of it, before shaking his head.

“I’m good, man. Thanks.”

When Louis had received Zayn’s call yesterday, he couldn’t believe it. Zayn had asked him to meet here, not wanting to get into any details over the phone. Louis swore Harry to secrecy, not wanting Liam to catch wind that Zayn was in town in case it wasn’t a permanent thing. It has taken Liam time to mend the pieces of the broken heart Zayn shattered, and Louis isn’t about to let him anywhere near his best friend. Not until he hears Zayn out.

Zayn stands, fidgeting with his hands while walking back and forth across the room. It’s making Louis feel on edge, but he doesn’t really want Zayn to join him on the bed. Zayn didn’t just break Liam’s heart, he hurt Louis as well by not even bothering to answer his calls or leave an explanation. It’s not something Louis is going to be willing to let go so easily.

Since Zayn doesn’t seem to be finding the words to begin talking, Louis bites the bullet.

“So, how long have you been back in town?” He rests his elbows on his knees, placing his chin on his hand to watch Zayn’s response.

Zayn stops, facing Louis, eyes weary. “About two weeks? I just moved in here a few days ago. I was staying at a motel until I found a place.”

“Two weeks?” Louis sounds more bitter than he means to, but fuck it. Zayn has a lot of explaining to do and he’s done trying to be the nice guy. “What and you were just planning on being back without letting any of us know? Were you just going to avoid all the places we frequent so you wouldn't bump into us? What the fuck, Zayn?”

Louis is on his feet, his arms stretched out, staring at Zayn for answers. Zayn’s head drops to his chest and he runs his hand through his hair.

“I know it looks bad, okay? I know I fucked everything up. It took two weeks to gather the nerve to even pick up the phone and call you. I’m aware this is long overdue, but I’m sorry, Louis. I acted without thinking and by the time I realized, it was too late. I couldn’t bring myself to call you back in LA. I didn’t want to add salt to the wound, I didn’t feel like I deserved any of your time,” Zayn explains, unshed tears shining in his eyes.

“And why are you in Chicago then?” Louis asks, sitting back down.

Zayn takes an audible breath, leaning against the wall he drops down to the floor, wrapping his arms around his knees.

“The art fellowship in Los Angeles started out great. I was doing what I loved to do, getting to create things with my hands. It was a different atmosphere from Chicago, one that took some time to get used to, but I didn’t mind. I was doing something for me, you know? But it wasn’t enough.” 

Zayn wipes a tear on his cheek and sniffs. “I shouldn’t have left Liam the way that I did. I should have talked to him when you told me to, and we could have worked something out. Because being in LA, I had a hole in my heart. One that no amount of art, or anything would be able to fill. The only person that would remedy that is Liam, and I broke his heart, Louis. I stomped on it and didn’t look back,” he finishes, his voice cracking. Louis wants to reach out to him, but he holds back.

“I was miserable and I got to a breaking point where I had to come back and try to make things right with Liam no matter what it takes. So, I packed up my things and came here, but…” Zayn looks up to meet Louis’ gaze. “I decided to walk by Benny’s hoping to see if I could spot Liam. I wasn’t planning on running into him, I wasn’t ready for that but. I just really wanted to see him, so I went.”

“Did you see him?” Louis can’t help but ask. He doesn’t think Liam has seen Zayn, Louis is sure he’d know if he did.

Zayn nods. “I was across the street from the bar and I saw him. He was smiling, his eyes were crinkling. It was the way he used to look at me. But it wasn’t me he was looking at that way, it was another guy. Someone I’ve never seen before. I bolted out of there, not wanting to risk being seen.”

Louis is sure the guy Zayn is referring to is Jordan. It isn’t up to Louis to tell him about Liam’s love life though. He doesn’t deserve to hear about it.

“You didn’t expect Liam to be waiting, still pining for you, did you?” Louis asks. He doesn’t mean to sound as cruel as it comes out. Zayn flinches at Louis’ question and he feels bad about it.

“Of course not. That doesn’t mean I’m happy to see the man I love moving on with someone else.”

Louis can’t help but scoff. “Only because you left him.”

Zayn crawls toward Louis on the bed, kneeling in front of him. He takes Louis’ hand.

“Louis, I’m sorry okay? I fucked up and I know there’s so much I’ll have to make up for. But I need you to forgive me because I can’t even begin to repair the mess I’ve made without my friend’s support.” His eyes are earnest, dripping with tears, but sincere. 

Louis can feel his icy facade begin to melt bit by bit. He sighs. “I forgive you, Zee. But I won’t help you get back together with Liam. If that’s something you want to do, you’re on your own with that.”

Zayn nods, “Alright. That’s fair. Thank you.” He leans in to wrap Louis in his arms. It’s a bit awkward at first, with the way they’re positioned and the fact that Louis has been pissed off at him these past few months. Eventually, he starts to warm up to him and returns the embrace, the familiar scent of cigarettes and cologne taking over his senses.

They pull away from each other, and Zayn has a soft smile on his tear streaked face.

“How about we get out of here and go have dinner so you can catch me up on everything else? My treat,” Louis offers, standing and reaching a hand out to Zayn to help him up.

Zayn’s smile widens, joining Louis on his feet. “Sounds good to me.”

They go to a hole in the wall Mexican place not far from Zayn’s neighborhood and spend a couple of hours catching up. Zayn tells him that he’s trying to find a job, but since the school year is almost over he’ll need something temporary while he finds a more permanent position. Louis informs him about the admin position at his employer that just opened up and promises to send him the information and put in a good word for him.

They don’t realize how late it is until they’re being kicked out of the restaurant. Louis apologizes profusely and makes sure to leave the staff a good tip for holding them up.

“Thanks for hearing me out. It means a lot to me that you’re giving me a chance,” Zayn says when they pull up in front of his building.

“Please don’t hurt Liam again, Zee. I don’t think he could come back from another heartbreak,” Louis warns him.

“I promise I won’t.” With that, he climbs out of the vehicle and waves goodbye.

Louis tries to not think about how he’s going to break the news to Liam that his ex-fiance is back in town.

  
  
  


By the time summer officially begins, Zayn is working at Louis’ company as an administrative assistant. He fits right in almost instantly, making friends with Louis’ co-workers like he’s been employed there for years.

Louis hasn’t told Liam about Zayn, mainly because he feels that’s not up to him to bring up. Zayn came with the intent to work things out with Liam, and Louis isn't going to get in the middle of that. He’s not sure how Zayn plans to get in touch with Liam, and they haven’t really discussed it. Right now, Zayn’s priority is to settle back into Chicago and get out of that shoebox studio he lives in.

Harry’s the only one from their group that is aware of the entire situation with Zayn, mainly because he was there when Louis got the call. Also, Harry is his boyfriend and Louis needed someone to vent to about his feelings on the whole ordeal. Harry’s been supportive, encouraging Louis to patch things up with his friend.

Meetings led by Simon Cowell can feel eternal, and today’s was no exception. Louis’ brain feels like it’s going to explode and he’s looking forward to taking his lunch away from this place for a bit. His cell phone goes off as he’s opening his desk drawer to fetch his keys and sees that it’s Liam.

“Hey, Teddy Bear,” Louis jokes.

“Please don’t call me that,” Liam groans.

“Why not? Your mom calls you that, I’ve heard her.”

“She’s the only one that’s allowed, plus you weren’t supposed to hear it.”

“Psh, whatever. What’s up?”

“Not much, I’m actually in your building right now heading up to your office. I just got out of a meeting with a client nearby and thought we could do lunch?” Liam asks.

“Oh, that would be great, yeah. I was about to head out to grab something,” Louis says. It isn’t until that very moment that Zayn knocks on his door and starts talking that his heart stops and he realizes what is about to happen.

“Louis! Please tell Stan that he’s completely wrong in thinking Justice League is better than the Avengers,” Zayn says. Stan is right behind him with his arms crossed, waiting for Louis’ response.

“Um...” Louis panics, unable to move and trying to assess how he can keep Liam from seeing Zayn.

“Louis? Who is that? He sounds like Zayn,” Liam says still on the line. He doesn’t sound upset, more curious than anything.

“Just come to my office, okay? I’ll see you in a few.” Louis hangs up without another word.

He clears his throat. “Stan, can you give me a moment with Zayn, please?”

Stan nods and closes the door, leaving Louis and Zayn alone.

“What’s wrong?”

Louis scratches the back of his head, looking at Zayn wearily. “Liam is in the building on his way here to have lunch, he just called me.”

Zayn’s eyes widen. “Did you know he was coming?”

“No, of course not. He called to tell me he was here.”

Before either can say anything else, Louis’ intercom goes off.

“Mr. Tomlinson, Liam is here to see you.”

Zayn and Louis glance at each other. Zayn’s shoulders drop, resigning himself to the inevitable. Louis takes a deep breath before saying, “Let him in, Erin. Thank you.”

The seconds that pass feel like hours. When they hear the click of the door they jump. Liam appears in the doorway, a smile on his face.

“Hey Louis, ready to go?” As Liam finishes his question, his eyes shift over to the other person in the room. He pauses mid step, his mouth going slack at the sight of his ex-fiance, but it only takes him a moment to recover. “Zayn? What are you doing here?”

“I’m going to leave you guys alone. Just… I’m sorry, Liam,” Louis says before stepping out of the office.

Louis’ nerves are so high, he can hardly bring himself to eat anything. The hunger he’d been feeling has completely vanished, and now he just sits at a coffee shop across the street fidgeting. He sent Harry a text to let him know what’s happening, but he must be busy at work. Louis wishes he could go see him right now, he needs Harry’s calming voice to ground him. He needs Harry to tell him everything is going to be alright even if it’s a lie. Louis doesn’t know what he’ll do if Liam hates him for keeping this from him, he doesn’t even want to think about that.

His heart stops when his phone rings, but when he sees it’s Harry, Louis rushes to pick it up.

“I’m sorry, I called as soon as I got your text. How’s it going?” Harry asks, concerned.

“I don’t know. I’m just waiting at the cafe across the street. Who knows if Liam will even contact me after he talks to Zayn,” Louis says.

“He’s not going to stop talking to you because you knew Zayn was back, baby. Liam will understand why you didn’t say anything. He’s a reasonable man and I’m sure he’ll hear you out,” Harry assures him.

“I hope you’re right.”

Harry can’t stay on the phone long, which bums Louis out, but he promises to give him lots of cuddles when he gets home tonight, putting a smile on his face. The smile disappears the instant Louis gets a text from Zayn telling him Liam has left. He rushes back to the office to find Zayn still there sitting on one of the chairs, staring at his hands.

“Hey Zee. How did it go?”

Zayn lifts his head to meet Louis’ eyes. “It went better than I expected,” he says, a small smile forming on his lips.

He goes on to explain to Louis that Liam was obviously surprised that Zayn was back and working at the same company as his best friend. Zayn basically told Liam what he’d told Louis, except for the part where he saw him and Jordan outside of Benny’s. Zayn didn’t want to focus on the romantic side of the relationship right now, he cares most about salvaging his friendship with Liam. He apologized for the way he walked out on him so selfishly and Liam forgave him.

“Of course Liam was so sweet and understanding about it,” Zayn continues. “He hugged me and invited me to join you guys for a drink at Benny’s tonight.”

“That’s good, right?” Louis asks trying to sound positive because Zayn looks like he could use it.

“It is, yeah. Just. I wasn’t expecting to see him today, and it was a lot. Had to fight all my natural urges to touch him. I practically had to sit on my hands,” Zayn says.

“It’s going to be hard, but at least you got over the most difficult part, yeah?”

Zayn nods. “Yeah. I guess.”

Louis goes straight to Benny’s after work, Harry already waiting at their booth with two beers in front of him.

“I love you,” Louis says, greeting Harry with a kiss.

Harry smiles softly and scoots over to let Louis sit next to him. 

“How was the rest of your day, darling?”

Louis lets the cold beer quench his throat before answering. “It was alright. But enough about me, how was your day, baby?” He kisses Harry on the cheek wanting nothing more than his boyfriend’s touch.

“It was great. I was assigned to cover the Pride parade this year, I’m so excited!” Harry’s face is glowing, Louis pulls him in for another kiss.

“Mmm, that’s amazing.”

Their little couple bubble is burst by Liam, who walks through the door with an apprehensive look on his face. He joins them after getting his drink at the bar.

“Liam, I’m sorry for not telling you about Zayn. I just thought it would be best for you to hear it from him,” Louis begins before Liam even finishes sitting across from them.

Liam puts his hand up to stop him. “Louis, don’t worry about it. Look, I get it, okay? I’m sure it wasn’t easy for you being caught in the middle, and I appreciate you.”

It’s like a weight is lifted off his shoulders and Louis exhales. “Thanks, man. I love you both, I just want you to be happy.”

Liam nods, his lips curving into a smile. 

“So how are you holding up?” Harry asks, staring at Liam with concern.

“I’m doing better than I thought I’d be, to be honest. You know, you always picture that moment after a break up when you come face to face with your ex for the first time. I always thought I’d be angry and that I’d yell and show Zayn what he’s lost. But when I saw him standing there, without warning or anything… I felt relief? It was like I had been underwater and I finally came up for air or something. Knowing Zayn was alive and well had the opposite effect I was expecting.”

“Is that a good or bad thing?” Louis asks. He’s never been in a relationship as long as Liam and Zayn have, and he’s never had to experience anything like that.

Liam shrugs. “I don’t know. He apologized for leaving the way he did, and it’s everything I’d wanted months ago after we first broke up. But now, I think I see what he’d been talking about and he was right. Maybe in some way we were holding each other back. I didn’t see it then, but I see his point now. I’d kind of stopped trying back then? Like before Niall made me go shopping, I don’t think I’d bought new clothes since college, aside from what I needed for work. So, I’m willing to be his friend but at the moment I’m not interested in anything more. Plus, I’ve got Jordan.”

In that moment Zayn comes in. In all the years they’ve been coming to Benny’s, this is the first time Louis has ever seen him look so small and insecure. It’s a bit disturbing to watch. He grabs a beer at the bar and heads their way. His eyes shift toward the booth at the empty spot next to Liam and it looks like he wants to pull up a chair instead, but then it’d make things awkward so he sits, keeping a safe distance from his ex.

“Hey Zee,” Louis greets.

Harry gets out of his seat to walk around the booth and hug Zayn. 

“Missed you,” Harry murmurs against his shoulder. Zayn blushes and rubs Harry’s back.

“Missed you too.”

Their conversation is stilted at first, but things begin to warm up between everyone soon enough, especially after a few more drinks. 

No one but Louis notices Niall enter the bar because he’s facing the door. He watches as Niall approaches the bar to order his scotch on the rocks. Niall’s attention is diverted by the woman next to him who’s waiting for her order. He looks her up and down and smirks, telling her God knows what. When the bartender hands Niall his drink, he winks at the woman before turning around while taking a sip of his drink. The moment he does, it’s like it happens in slow motion. Niall’s eyes land on their booth and when he notices Zayn he comically spits the alcohol splashing the woman he was just talking to. The woman’s eyes and mouth go wide, saying something unintelligible. She’s wiping at herself and shoving Niall aside as she walks in the direction of the bathrooms.

Louis can’t help but giggle at the entire scene he just witnessed. The others stop talking and stare at Louis before shifting their gazes to Niall who’s wiping off the alcohol from his shirt with a napkin.

“Niall’s here,” he snorts.

After Niall’s initial shock, they try to get back to normal. It’s an adjustment at first, especially having Liam and Zayn in the same group without them being all over each other. Liam doesn’t bring Jordan around and Louis isn’t sure if it’s out of respect for Zayn or they’re just not seeing each other anymore. 

  
  
  


Louis’ stomach is in knots as he drives with Harry to his mother’s house. It’s his grandmother’s 80th birthday and they’re having a big celebration, one that requires Louis’ attendance. He’d been debating whether he should invite Harry or not, but it turns out that Louis’ mom had already invited Harry without his knowledge. 

Apparently Harry and Louis’ mom have been friends on Facebook for quite some time and they talk all the time. Louis had no idea until he was on the phone with his mom and she’d brought it up in conversation. On one hand, it was kind of a relief to know that Harry and his mom have made contact, but on the other it still makes Louis nervous to know Harry will be meeting his entire family, including aunts, uncles, cousins, the whole lot.

“You okay?” Harry’s deep voice shakes Louis from his worried thoughts. 

“Yeah, yeah. Just nervous,” he admits. 

Harry grabs hold of Louis’ unoccupied hand and interlaces their fingers together.

“You have nothing to worry about, baby. I already love your mom and I’m sure I’ll love the rest of your family. If they’re half as lovely as you are, you’ll have to drag me out of there,” Harry assures him.

Louis rolls his eyes fondly. “Kiss ass.”

Harry pouts. “Hey.”

They arrive at Jay’s house, which Louis could spot from a mile away with the giant “80” decorating the front lawn with balloons framing it. Louis parks the car and they unload the stuff they’ve brought because Harry felt the need to make cupcakes and brownies even though his mother had insisted he didn’t have to. It’s cute seeing the eager look on his face as they approach the backyard, the noise of all the children playing and adults talking getting louder the closer they get.

There’s a small cheer when Louis and Harry appear, all the adults stop what they’re doing and they go around to greet everyone. He introduces Harry, and he’s happily embracing everyone in hugs and shaking their hands.

“Louis you made it,” Jay exclaims, appearing with open arms and a warm smile. Louis hugs her.

“Hey, Mom,” he says. He turns to Harry when they pull apart. “You know Harry.”

Jay stares at Harry and her face lights up. “Harry, it’s nice to finally meet you in person. Oh my God, what’s all this? I told you you didn’t have to.” She takes the aluminum tray from Harry’s hands and they kiss each other on the cheek.

Harry’s cheeks go bright pink. “I know, but I still wanted to.”

“Such a sweetheart,” she says as they walk into the house together.

Louis is about to follow them but then he’s bombarded with children that include his youngest twin siblings. They grab on to him by the waist and squeeze him hard. It turns into a game where he’s lifting children over his shoulder pretending to be some kind of monster who’s going to eat them. That’s how Harry finds him when he comes back outside, watching fondly with his arms crossed across his chest. 

“Okay, okay. I need a timeout,” Louis calls breathlessly. The children reluctantly let him go only after he promises to play with them after he eats.

They find the guest of honor, Louis’ grandmother, and he hugs and kisses her, wishing her a happy birthday. She’s all smiles, always happiest when surrounded by family.

“Nan, this is Harry, my boyfriend,” Louis says, stepping aside to give Harry room to meet his grandma.

Harry smiles bashfully, waving, but Louis’ nan is pulling him into a hug before he can finish.

“It’s so good to meet you sweetie. Please, go on and eat something. You need some meat in your bones.” She pokes at Harry’s side, making him giggle.

They excuse themselves to do just that. A buffet table is set up with chicken, pasta, and all sorts of other fixings. They fill their plates and then find seats at Jay’s table after she waves them over. Louis is almost reluctant, already knowing his mom is going to be asking Harry a million questions.

Louis turns out to be wrong, though, because it seems that Jay already knows Harry well. Instead, she’s asking him about work and how certain things are going that Louis didn’t even know about. Louis almost feels like he’s intruding, so instead he sits quietly and eats his food. 

“Louis, honey, can you help me get the stuff out for dessert?” Jay asks him when they’re done eating.

Louis nods and follows her into the house. Harry tries to offer to help, but his mom makes him sit back down, which he reluctantly agrees to. 

Jay takes the cake out of the fridge. She has a smile on her face the entire time she’s occupied, and Louis almost wants to ignore it and not ask her about it.

“Alright, what is it?” He finally gives in.

Jay shrugs, that smirk still prominent on lips. “Nothing, darling. Harry’s just really great.”

Louis rolls his eyes fondly. He can barely pretend to be mad because it makes him happy that his mother loves Harry, probably not as much as he does, but still. 

They walk out together with the cake and set it on the table, next to the serving knife and plates and napkins. There’s a loud joyful scream that catches Louis’ attention and when he looks up he sees Harry being chased by all the kids. Harry stops and picks to kids up, one in each arm, and roars. The rest of the children scream in delight and run away from Harry as he stomps after them. Louis’ heart warms at the sight.

He begins to think of a future with Harry and what type of parent he would be like. Louis always imagined him being the stricter, sticking to the rules type of father, but seeing him now, he’s starting to picture him and their future children getting into trouble together. 

“Louis? Can you pass me those plates over there?” Jay’s voice makes Louis startle from his daydream. He blushes as if his mom caught him doing something embarrassing, but shakes it off and does as he’s told.

Louis knows that type of future he pictures with Harry is still a long way away, but it’s making his stomach flutter just thinking of all the possibilities.

  
  


The Pride parade is just around the corner, and they all make plans to attend. Louis hardly sees Harry leading up to the parade, but he couldn’t be prouder of his boyfriend. The day of the event, it’s scorching hot, but they don’t let it deter them from going all out. Louis has no idea Harry owned a rainbow tutu until he showed up at the apartment all dressed up. Louis’ got a simple white t-shirt with a rainbow on it and his lucky rainbow suspenders he wears every year. 

They forget all about the heat when they get there and have the time of their lives. Harry has to escape for a while to record his report, but then he joins their group again and they drink, dance, and interact with the most vivacious people they encounter along the way. At one point throughout the day, Jordan meets up with them. He’s wearing the tightest short shorts Louis has ever seen on a man and he’s shirtless, flashing his abs. Even Louis’ eyes can’t help but linger at his six pack. Liam introduces him to Zayn and, bless him, he does his best to keep his composure, but Louis can tell his eyes have dimmed at his appearance.

They end up at Benny’s, deciding they’re ready to wind down from the eventful day. Benny’s is packed, so they huddle in a corner in the far back of the bar. Jordan offers to get the first round, and it’s a bit awkward, but it’s not as bad as Louis thought it would be when he pictured Zayn and him being in the same room.

Niall’s phone rings and when he tries to answer it, he can’t hear the person on the other line, so he excuses himself to go outside. Jordan returns with some beers and they accept them gratefully. The cold beer feels amazing against Louis’ tongue, especially after a long day being on their feet.

“Oh my God, Louis!” Harry taps him on the arm, getting his attention. Harry’s on his phone, on his email. “I got us tickets to Lollapalooza!” 

“You what?” Louis asks. He’s never been to Lollapalooza but has always wanted to go. Louis didn’t even know Harry was trying to get them tickets.

“Yeah! A friend from work offered to sell them to me. He bought them back when they first went on sale, but stuff came up and he can’t go anymore. So I offered to buy them from him, and he just transferred them over to me.”

“That’s awesome, Haz. I’ve always wanted to go,” Louis admits.

Harry wraps an arm around his shoulders, pulling him closer and kissing him on the cheek. “Well, now we get to go together for the first time. I’ll get us a hotel, we can make a weekend out of it just the two of us,” he whispers into Louis’ ear.

Louis shivers at the feeling of Harry’s breath against his ear. “I’d love that.” he tilts his head to kiss Harry on the lips.

“Where’s Niall? I’m tired of being the fifth wheel over here,” Zayn says. He’s being sarcastic, but there’s a hint of bitterness to it.

“He hasn’t returned from that call he got,” Louis tells him.

Louis scans the room, looking to see if there’s any sight of their friend. Sure enough, Niall’s making his way back inside, his face paler than when he first left.

“What’s wrong, Nialler?” Louis asks concerned.

Niall drops onto his chair, chugging most of the beer on the table that was left for him. He smacks his lips and slams the glass.

“Jenny called,” he says.

“You’re still seeing her? After how insufferable she was during Memorial Day weekend?”

Niall shakes his head. “No, I haven’t seen her since then actually.”

“Then why did she call?” Harry asks. They’re all staring at Niall, growing more concerned the longer he takes to tell them what’s wrong. It’s rare for them to see their friend like this. He’s always smiling, laughing, or joking around never taking things too seriously. Saying he’s being out of character is the understatement of the century.

Niall lets out a long exhale, as if he’s bracing himself for a punch. Louis waits with bated breath for what he’s about to say. He has a feeling it’s something big.

“She’s pregnant. Or she thinks she might be. She was late and took a test, it turned out positive. She’s got a doctor’s appointment in a few days. I’m gonna go with her to see what they say,” Niall explains, sounding like he doesn’t believe the words coming out of his mouth.

Their table is silent among the bustling noise of the bar around them. Louis’ stomach drops for his friend, worrying on his behalf. No one seems sure what to say, so they just wait and continue drinking.

“I’m all about living in the moment, trying not to worry about commitment. I’m not ready to be a father, I just…this is a lot,” Niall continues.

Zayn squeezes Niall’s shoulder. “We’re here for you Niall. You know that. No matter what happens.”

Niall takes Zayn’s hand. “Thank you. I’ll let you guys know what happens.”

“Please do,” Liam pipes up.

Later that night, Harry and Louis are making their way up to the apartment by themselves. Liam left with Jordan not long after Zayn called it a night right after Niall. 

“Can you imagine Niall with a baby?” Harry asks as they make it inside.

Louis drops his keys into a bowl by the door. “Just having the words Niall and baby in the same sentence sounds odd.”

Harry chuckles. “Well, if it turns out to be that she is pregnant, God help us all. I just hope we don’t get stuck having to babysit.”

They’re in the bedroom now. Louis is stripping out of his clothes and looking for his towel, dying to have a shower before bed. It seems that Harry has the same idea.

“You don’t like kids?” Louis asks, his eyebrows furrowing. He and Harry may not have talked about kids before, but it hasn’t stopped him from daydreaming about him and their future family. 

Harry wrinkles his nose. “It’s not that I don’t like them. They’re just such a huge responsibility. A life changing one that I just don’t see myself wanting any time soon.” He shrugs.

An uncomfortable feeling settles in Louis’ stomach. “Really?”

“Yeah. All the crying, sleep deprivation and loss of a social life just doesn’t sound appealing to me,” Harry continues, as if he isn’t shattering a part of Louis’ dreams for the future.

“Hmm. Alright then.” He throws the towel over his shoulder. “I’m gonna hop in the shower, I won’t be long.” Louis approaches the bedroom door when Harry stops him.

“Do you mind if I join you?” Harry asks, quirking his eyebrow suggestively.

“Um yeah, sure. Let me just use the toilet first and I’ll let you know when you can come in,” Louis tells him leaving the room before Harry can respond.

Louis doesn’t end up calling Harry to join him. He’d rather spend these few minutes in the shower to himself, going over Harry’s words in his mind. It’s not like Louis wants babies right now, but when he pictures his future, he sees a handful of kids running around the yard of the house he purchased with his husband. It’s a dream Louis has every now and then. The husband is always faceless, but he stands next to Louis on the patio and they watch their children playing fondly, making sure they’re getting along. Louis always feels warm and fuzzy when he has that dream, making him look forward to when the time comes. It makes every failed relationship, every horrible date worth it because he knows what’s waiting for him in the end. 

Recently, the faceless husband has been taking the shape of Harry’s, but now Louis isn’t quite so sure. If Harry doesn’t ever want to have kids, he might not be the one for him. Although Harry never said he’d never want kids, but Louis is too afraid to ask him to clarify.

Louis gets out of the shower once the water starts going cold. He hopes Harry isn’t upset that he didn’t call him in or that he finished most of the hot water. It might be hot enough outside that he may not mind after all.

When Louis returns to the bedroom, Harry pouts. “I wanted to join you.”

“I’m sorry, love. I completely forgot,” he says, not sounding sorry about it at all.

Harry doesn’t seem to notice though, thankfully. He plants a kiss on Louis’ lips.

“I guess I’ll forgive you for now,” he says, pretending to sound disappointed. “I’ll be back,” he winks at Louis before disappearing.

Louis rushes to get into a pair of boxers before getting under the covers. When Harry returns from the bathroom, he pretends to be asleep still going over their conversation in his head.

  
  
  
  
  


They get a text from Niall in the group chat during the week announcing that he’s not going to be a father anytime soon in all caps and lots of celebratory emojis. Apparently the test was a false positive and they have nothing to worry about.

Niall invites everyone over to Benny’s later that evening to buy everyone a round of drinks to have a toast that he’s not going to have a baby.

“I know Father’s Day was not too long ago, but I’d like to declare today as Not a Father’s Day,” Niall announces, raising his glass. Everyone else joins in before taking a sip.

“Happy Not a Father’s Day, everyone!” Niall stands on his chair to shout to the whole bar.

Louis rolls his eyes at how ridiculous he’s being, but at the same time, their friend is back to his old self. He just hopes that Niall is more careful in the future so he doesn’t have another scare like this again.

They spend Fourth of July at Liam’s parents’ lakehouse. This time Niall comes alone and so does Liam, with no sight of Jordan around. It’s nice to have just the five of them, basking in each other’s company, staying up late singing along to Niall’s guitar and watching the fireworks over the lake. It’s a beautiful sight, and Louis spends the time watching them with Harry cuddled by his side. The children conversation continues to linger in the back of his mind, but Louis keeps telling himself that it’s not something he should be worrying about now.

That night, when Harry and Louis are in their room and Harry is thrusting into him with so much adoration in his eyes, all his worries about the future vanish. He focuses on the beautiful man above him. The one that cooks him breakfast on Sundays and offers to do his laundry when he does his own. The gorgeous boy that wakes him up with kisses almost every chance he gets and makes him feel so loved and cared for Louis could burst.

The rest of July is pretty uneventful. Liam hasn’t brought Jordan around since they saw him at the Pride parade. Niall has seemed to cool down on hooking up with girls, either that or he’s been more subtle about it, although Niall and subtlety don’t co-exist. Louis figures he’s probably still spooked about the pregnancy scare and is taking it easy.

Harry and Louis have been unable to keep their hands off each other. It’s like they’ve rewound to their honeymoon phase at the beginning of their relationship. They have sex nearly every day of the week and it’s mostly Louis’ doing. Louis’ having fun riling Harry up at the most random moments. 

When they’re at Benny’s, Louis trails his hand under the table and runs his fingers up and down Harry’s thigh, settling on his crotch. Louis ends up on his knees in one of the bathroom stalls with Harry fucking into his mouth, making him come in just a few minutes. On another occasion, Harry is making them Sunday breakfast and Louis finds him irresistible in nothing but his boxer briefs as he flips pancakes, so when he’s finished cooking, he bends him over the counter to fuck him until he comes untouched. 

It’s been fun, probably the most fun they’ve had and Louis doesn’t plan on stopping any time soon.

  
  
  


Before they know it, it’s Lollapalooza weekend. Louis’ been buzzing with excitement all week leading up to it. Of course, he waited until the last minute to pack his bag, but Harry isn’t around to reprimand him, so he’s rushing to get what he needs before his boyfriend shows up. When he’s packed and ready, he carries his bag to the living room where Harry is walking in through the door.

“Hey babe, you ready?” Harry asks greeting him with a kiss.

They take the Red Line to their hotel because parking downtown is a nightmare and Louis doesn’t want to pay $30 a day in some parking garage. Their stop is just steps away from their hotel, The Westin.

Harry checks them in before they’re escorted to their room. It isn’t anything fancy, since most of the rooms were already booked for the event in the first place. It’s still better than being at the apartment with Liam right down the hall. 

Louis drops his bag and walks to the window, the view of the lake and downtown Chicago appearing in front of him. He might have grown up here, but it doesn’t stop the view from taking his breath away. He feels Harry’s arms wrap around his waist, his chest against his back and chin resting on Louis’ shoulder.

“You know, I’d be completely fine just being holed up in this hotel room fucking you on every surface we can find all weekend,” Harry murmurs.

Louis laughs. “As tempting as that sounds, I’m also excited to see some bands.”

Harry harrumphs playfully. “Fine. But I am fucking you against this window before we go home,” he concedes.

“Deal.”

They’d agreed that there weren’t any bands they wanted to see the first few hours of the day. Instead, they grab lunch nearby, sitting by the window where they can see all the commotion of the festival.

“We could have eaten there, you know?” Harry says, taking a bite of his sandwich.

“And pay for overpriced food? No thanks,” Louis replies.

The weather’s not unbearably hot for the first day of August, but Louis knows that by late afternoon it will get a lot worse. They practically douse in sunblock before leaving the cafe, ready to embark on a day filled with music and being with the boy he loves.

Saying that the place is crowded would be the understatement of the century. They stay as close as possible, not letting go of each other’s hands as they make their way through to the stage they’re looking for. 

They stand through some bands Harry wanted to see that Louis’ never heard of. They’re not bad, and Louis enjoys the beat of the music. Mostly he basks in Harry’s attention as he embraces him and showers him with kisses after every song. 

Things don’t get crazy until Saturday when everyone and their mom seems to be at Grant Park. People are pushing and shoving in every direction. Harry and Louis find a spot and don’t move since most of the bands they want to see will be performing on this stage. 

The heat is relentless, like it’s making up for not being so hot the past couple of days. Luckily, they managed to pack up some water and plenty of sunscreen for the occasion. 

When there’s only a couple of acts left for the day, they decide to head back to the hotel. Both of them are too exhausted and hungry to stick around for the end. 

Instead of going out to eat somewhere, they call room service before taking a quick shower to wash off the grime from the hot summer day.

They eat comfortably in bed, while there’s a rerun of the Kardashians playing in the background. Neither of them is really paying attention to it, more interested in the food, eating like they’re starved.

“I’m gonna sleep at your place tomorrow night because I really don’t feel like waking up an extra hour early to get to work on Monday,” Louis tells Harry when they’re finishing up their dinner.

Harry nods. “That’s fine. It’s funny that I live closer to your job than you do,” he points out.

Louis chuckles. “Well, I didn’t work there when I first moved in. The commute can be a real bitch though, especially when things like Lollapalooza happen.”

It’s silent for a few moments. Harry wipes his mouth off with a napkin, dropping it on his place before he gazes at Louis.

“You could move in with me?” Harry says. He sounds unsure, like the idea just came to him, but then the longer he waits for Louis to answer, the more confident he looks at his suggestion.

“What?” Louis’ voice is high.

“I’m serious. We practically spend every night at each other’s places, why not just live together? It’s not like things would really change,” Harry continues.

The more Harry talks about it, the more appealing it sounds. 

Before Louis can say anything else, Harry places a hand on his. “Just think about it, Lou. We can talk about it another day when we aren’t completely exhausted.”

Louis nods. “Alright. I promise I’ll think about it.”

The next morning, Louis wakes up to Harry’s hand wrapped around his cock. He opens his eyes to a grinning Harry stroking his morning wood.

“Good morning, love,” Harry rasps, he leans in to kiss Louis, licking into his mouth, morning breath be damned.

“Mmm, morning,” Louis moans.

“Remember how I said I wanted to fuck you up against that window?” Harry asks nodding towards said window.

Louis nods, his skin prickling in anticipation.

Harry doesn’t say anything else since it’s pretty clear what he wants to do. Instead he takes the lube beside him and works on opening Louis up. Harry’s fingers are magic, he swears. Each one filling him and working him up. By the time Harry is fucking him with three fingers, Louis is begging him to fuck him.

“I’m ready, I’m ready. Please.”

Harry slides his fingers out, kissing Louis deeply before pulling away again. 

“Come on, then.” He takes a condom, rolls it on before lifting Louis by his thighs and placing him against the window. “Look at you gorgeous,” Harry says, reaching for his cock and sliding the head in Louis’ entrance.

Louis whines, tilting his head back, hitting the cold window as Harry continues pushing in. It’s everything, being filled up by Harry like this. Louis wants it every day for the rest of his life.

“Fuck, you feel amazing,” Louis groans as Harry bottoms out. He adjusts his holding to make sure Louis remains in place and starts grinding into him. The angle and pressure nearly takes Louis’ breath away. He bites his lip, grunting as Harry builds a rhythm getting faster with each movement.

Harry lifts Louis’ thighs up higher to change the angle. Louis instinctively wraps his arms around Harry’s waist, crying out as his prostate is being hit again and again. Their skin slaps together with Harry murmuring words Louis is too dazed to even understand. His head is getting fuzzy, their skin sweaty. Louis is starting to slide down the window, so Harry rocks his hips harder, so hard it makes Louis bounce with each hit.

“Oh, right there! Right there, don’t stop!” Louis wails and his cries make Harry work harder. Louis’ dick is trapped between their chests, the friction bringing him closer and closer to the edge until everything around him just explodes. Louis is coming hard, shouting as he hits his head against the window again coming down from his high. It only takes Harry a few more thrusts before he’s spilling into the condom, biting down Louis’ shoulder hard. Louis whines, loving the primal way he just got fucked. 

He’s completely boneless when Harry pulls out and gently lets him drop on his feet. Louis needs to hold on to Harry, afraid his legs will give out. When he gains his balance, he wobbles into the bathroom to get in the shower with Harry trailing behind him.

The shower turns into a makeout session in between soaping each other up. Louis wonders if this is what living with Harry will be like, morning sex and showers together, unable to keep their hands to themselves. Waking up next to Harry is already one of Louis’ favorite things he looks forward to, and getting to do it every day— he’d be a fool not to sign up for that.

“You know I think…” Louis mumbles, spitting out the toothpaste and rinsing his mouth. He turns to Harry to have his full attention. Harry stares at him eyes fully focused on him and it makes Louis blush a bit. “I think I’d love to move in with you,” he says.

Harry grins with his toothbrush in his mouth. He rushes to rinse his mouth before taking Louis into his arms and kissing him.

“So it’s happening then? We’re going to live together?” Harry asks, eyes wide and hopeful.

Louis smiles, nodding. “We’re going to live together.”

They hug again and Harry lifts him off the ground taking him to their bed. Louis tries to drown out his thoughts reminding him that Harry doesn’t want children.


	7. Chapter 7

**September 2019**

The “we’re moving in together” sex occurs every day the following couple of weeks. No one makes the initiative to begin making plans for when Louis will actually move in with Harry, but they’re also not in a hurry. They haven’t even told their friends about it yet.

Louis wants to wait until they set a move in date first. 

They are on Harry’s couch, both of them too desperate to make it to the bedroom. Louis is on his back and Harry is on top fucking himself on Louis’ cock, his eyes up to the ceiling. He sits up to nip at Harry’s neck unable to help it, sucking and licking over the mark. Harry groans, only bouncing harder on Louis’ lap. Louis grips his hair, it’s gotten longer since they first met, down to his ears and Harry loves it when he pulls on it, so he does. He fucks up to meet Harry’s thrusts, tugging at his hair making him wail so beautifully, Louis wants to record it and listen to it anytime he wants.

Being with Harry for nearly a year has taught Louis many things. He knows that Harry scrunches his nose when he’s struggling to keep a straight face. When he’s hungry, Harry gets so cranky he sounds like a petulant child and when he finally eats, it’s like he’s a whole new person. When Harry gets cold, the tips of his fingers and toes turn to icicles. If Harry’s having a bad day, he doesn’t show it, instead he smiles through it until he’s alone or with Louis who does his best to cheer him up. When they’re making love, like they are right now, Louis knows Harry is close to reaching orgasm with the way he flushes from his head all the way down to his feet and his toes curl. His breathing gets shorter and he closes his eyes. That’s when Louis reaches to wrap his hand around Harry’s cock to help get him there, and so he does just that.

“Oh fuck!” Harry shouts spilling all over Louis’ chest. Louis follows suit and Harry whines, dropping on top of him. He doesn’t care how sweaty or sticky they are, he wraps his arms around Harry, kissing him on the temple as they come down.

Harry lifts his head, eyes meeting Louis’. “I want jelly beans.”

Louis bursts into laughter. “That’s random.”

Harry pouts. “What? You know I crave sweets after an orgasm.”

Yes, Louis knew that. He lets out a sigh. “I know, that’s why I keep my night stand drawer stocked with candy.”

Harry smiles, pecking Louis on the lips. “And that’s why I love you.” He slaps Louis on the chest before moving to stand. They clean themselves with some wet wipes before Harry strides to his kitchen and grabs an opened bag of jelly beans from his pantry. He returns, popping a few into his mouth grinning.

“You’re a child and I no longer want to move in,” Louis deadpans.

“Louis!” Harry whines sitting on his lap eating more jelly beans. He picks out some from the bag before reaching to feed them to Louis. They’re all red ones, the only ones Louis likes. 

Louis smiles fondly and opens his mouth, letting his boyfriend feed him the candy.

“When I propose, I’ll make sure the stone on your ring looks like a jelly bean,” Louis says. It comes out so casually, as if they talk about marriage, and engagements all the time. But they don’t. They’ve actually never brought the subject up.

Louis’ heart stutters, realizing what he just said. Harry pauses mid chew, turning to stare at Louis. Harry is an open book and Louis is normally able to gauge what he’s thinking, but right now he isn’t giving anything away and it makes him nervous, like he shouldn’t have just said that.

Harry breaks the silence with a sigh. “We should probably talk about that,” he says with a concerned tone.

Louis waves him off, saying, “It’s not necessary. I didn’t mean anything by it, really.” He moves to put his clothes on, suddenly feeling the extent of his nakedness and needing to cover up, especially with the serious turn their conversation has taken.

Harry’s got his shorts on by the time Louis is fully clothed. He pats the cushion next to him and Louis falls on it, waiting for what Harry has to say. By the look on Harry’s face, Louis can already tell it isn’t going to be good and he’s afraid.

“I know we haven’t talked about it, but it’s something we should discuss. Especially if we’re going to be moving in together, right?” Harry asks, glancing at Louis.

Louis nods. “Yeah, I guess that would be the smart thing to do.”

Harry remains quiet for a moment, before his eyes rise up to the ceiling. He audibly inhales, letting the air out slowly. Taking Louis’ hand, Harry squeezes it softly, staring into his eyes with sincerity.

“I know that most couples, when they move in together, they expect something more in the future. People get engaged, plan a wedding, have kids, the works. But for me, that’s not something I want in mine,” Harry explains.

“What are you saying?” Louis asks, needing Harry to spell it out for him as explicitly as possible.

“Louis, I love you so much and I want nothing more than to live with you. But living together is as far as I’m planning to go with us. I don’t see marriage or kids in my future and I hope that’s enough for you. If anything, Zayn and Liam’s break up has only confirmed for me that I should focus on me and my career. There’s so much I still want to accomplish like traveling and becoming the host of my own show,” he continues.

Louis takes everything in. His mind began to get fuzzy the second Harry said he doesn’t see marriage or kids in his future. It’s like someone poured a bucket of ice water on him, leaving him in complete shock. His hopes and dreams completely shattered by the man he believed to be the love of his life. 

“Louis?” Harry’s voice breaks Louis’ thoughts and his head snaps toward Harry who’s staring at him with a question.

“I’m sorry, what?”

“I asked if you were on the same page? Before we make plans to move in together, I want to make sure we want the same things,” Harry says.

Louis nods before even processing everything Harry’s told him. His throat is tight and he can’t think, completely overwhelmed with all this information.

“Yeah, yeah. Sounds good,” he says mindlessly before standing. “I should probably go home. I left my work clothes and I’ve got an early morning in the office.”

Harry stands to walk him out. “Okay, sure.”

Louis kisses Harry on the forehead before turning around to leave, saying a hurried goodbye before rushing out. He needs some time to himself to process everything Harry just said. It’s not until Louis gets out of the train at his stop that the realization finally hits him: he and Harry have an expiration date.

  
  


Louis needs to escape somewhere for a few days to think. He can’t run to his apartment because Harry has a key and can easily find him. Packing a weekend bag, Louis loads his car and drives down I55. Traffic is ridiculous, because only he can think to escape to his mother’s house on a Friday during rush hour. It’s okay because it gives Louis time to himself to listen to music and process Harry’s words.

He hasn’t responded to any of Harry’s texts since he saw him last night. It hasn’t been many, just the usual goodnight and good morning messages. Louis reaches for his phone and shuts it off completely, tossing it into the glove compartment. He can’t let whatever sweet messages he receives from Harry rope him back into pretending everything's okay. Louis had already done that when Harry first mentioned he didn’t want children.

A song begins to play on the radio so Louis lowers the windows and turns it as high as he can without it being obnoxious to the cars around him. It’s Adele’s “Rolling in the Deep” and Louis already knows he’s going to be letting out all of the pent up emotions in a song.

_ “We could have had it all!” _ Louis shouts, tapping his hand on the steering wheel and moving to the beat. He doesn’t realize it until the song is over that his cheeks are wet, and he doesn’t move to wipe them.

Thankfully the song that follows is about stripping it down so it won’t take Louis into another emotional spiral. Once he reaches the outskirts of the city, the traffic begins to move more fluidly. The wind picks up and Louis leaves the windows down, letting the fresh air hit him to help clear his thoughts.

When he pulls up to his mother’s driveway, he takes a moment to put himself as together as he can. He knows the moment his mom sees him, she’s going to know there’s something wrong. Louis has never been able to hide anything from her, she’s like a wizard or something. Still, he grabs one of the wet wipes he keeps stored in his car and wipes his face, trying to erase any tear remnants. By the time he steps out of the car to grab his bag from the trunk, he sees his mother standing by the window with a concerned look on her face. If Louis could guess, Liam has probably reached out to her after not being able to reach Louis.

The front door opens, revealing her with the phone to her ear murmuring something about him. She hangs up and gazes at Louis.

“You had Liam worried sick, you know?” she says instead of a greeting, wrapping her arms around him.

Louis inhales, taking in the comforting scent of his mother. Of home.

“I’m sorry, my phone died,” he lies.

“Sure,” Jay says moving aside to let him in. “You should have told me you were coming over, I would have prepared you some dinner. The older twins are away at a sleepover and the younger twins are at Dan’s parent’s.”

“What about Fiz?” Louis asks, dropping his bag by the door.

“She’s already moved to the dorms since she’s an RA this year.” They move into the kitchen and his mom puts the kettle on for tea. 

“Have you heard from Lottie?” Louis sits on the kitchen table while his mom pulls out stuff to make a sandwich. He’d offer to do it himself, but she’ll only wave him away.

His mother pauses, then turns around to face Louis. She’s got a nervous look on her face, and Louis doesn’t like the way his stomach feels.

“What is it?”

Jay brings a sandwich over to Louis with some chips before going back to shut off the kettle.

“You have to promise not to say anything. When she tells you, act surprised, okay?” His mom comes back to sit with him at the table with two full mugs of tea.

“Okay I will. What happened?” Louis takes a sip of his hot drink and waits with uneasy anticipation.

“She was here just last weekend actually and she has some pretty big news,” his mom begins.

“Okay...” Louis’ sister Lottie lives up in the northern suburbs with her boyfriend Tom. They’re high school sweethearts, attending the same college together. Just last year they graduated and Tom accepted a position in marketing, while Lottie enrolled in grad school. “Did Tom propose? Is that what the news is?”

Jay shakes her head. “She just found out she’s pregnant. Peed on a stick right before coming to visit. Her doctor’s appointment is later this week, so she doesn’t want to say anything until it’s confirmed and everything is okay.”

Louis grins, his heart filling with so much joy at the news. “Are you serious? I’m going to be an uncle?” His voice is high, like before he hit puberty. Thankfully it’s just him and his mom and she’s too nice to tease him about that kind of stuff.

“Yeah! They seem excited about it. And actually Tom asked for her hand in marriage, so he’ll also be popping the question pretty soon.”

“Oh my God. And you didn’t even think to call and tell me? What the hell, Mom?”

Jay slaps Louis on his arm. “Watch your language.”

“Sorry, sorry. But seriously, why does no one tell me these things?”

Jay shrugs. “I’m sorry, honey. She swore me to secrecy, but the only reason I’m telling you is because you came in with such a sad look on your face. I knew the news would cheer you up.”

The concerned look and tone is back and Louis sighs, finishing off his sandwich.

“You’re showing up here out of the blue, looking upset about something. I’m no psychic but you’re my son and I know when there’s something bothering you. So talk to me,” she encourages him, covering Louis’ hand with hers.

“Harry says he doesn’t want to ever get married or have children,” Louis blurts out.

His mom doesn’t say anything, processing the information. She squeezes Louis’ hand.

“Did you propose?”

“No, no. It started a while ago when one of Niall’s hook ups had a pregnancy scare. Harry made a comment about how kids aren’t his thing. I tried brushing it off and forgetting about it because we’re nowhere near that point in our lives but then…” Louis meets Jay’s eyes and she’s already looking at him intently. Her face is so warm. Louis’ always loved that about her, he always feels like he could tell her anything and she never shows an ounce of judgment.

“I accidentally made a comment about proposing to him. It was stupid, I didn’t even think about it before I just word vomited. But then that led to a more serious conversation about us. Harry wanted to make it clear to me that moving in together is as far as he’ll go with me. He doesn’t want to ever get married or have children because he wants to focus on moving up in his career.”

“And you want those things? Marriage and kids?” his mom asks.

Louis meets his mom’s gaze. “I’ve been wanting that for as long as I can remember. I thought Harry was perfect for me. Never have I ever clicked so well with someone. We fit so seamlessly, it’s felt almost too good to be true since the beginning.”

“What are you going to do?”

Louis shakes his head. “I haven’t decided, but it would feel pointless to continue being with him, acting like those things don’t bother me. Even if we’re not at that point, there’s no use staying in a relationship when I know it’s going to end.”

“Do you think Harry would change his mind?”

“He made it pretty clear that it’s something he never wants. I don’t want to waste my time waiting around for that slight possibility that he’ll change his mind someday. It wouldn’t be fair to either of us.”

Jay stands to search for something in the freezer and Louis notices that she’s pulled out a bottle of vodka. She sets it down on the table to retrieve a couple of glasses. Louis stares at her questioningly while she pours them a shot.

“I think that it won’t hurt you to forget about this for one night. Everything will still be waiting for you tomorrow. How about we put a tack in it for now and come back to it.” 

She hands him his shot and takes her own. “Now drink up, honey.”

This isn’t the first time Louis has gotten drunk with his mom, but it’s been years since they’ve done this. When Louis got his heart broken in college, he remembers going home and his mom had wine and rom coms waiting for him. She’d made sure they had the house to themselves so Louis could wallow. They talked, well Louis talked and his mom listened. After that weekend, Louis felt like a load lifted off his shoulders and he was ready to tackle the rest of the semester. This time around, they spend time drinking and watching reruns of Keeping up with the Kardashians. It’s somehow soothing to see other people’s lives instead of worrying about his own.

Louis doesn’t know when he fell asleep, all he knows is that he wakes up the next morning on the couch with a fleece blanket on him. The scent of eggs and bacon makes his stomach grumble so he sits up to stretch out his limbs before going to see what’s happening in the kitchen. His mom is flipping pancakes, and she looks over her shoulder with a grin on her face.

“Good morning darling. There’s coffee and breakfast is almost ready,” his mom announces, her voice almost too chirpy. 

Louis’ head pulses and he cradles his head as he makes his way to the sink for a glass of water, downing it in seconds before filling it again. He takes an Advil and prepares himself a mug of coffee before sitting on the kitchen table.

“How did you sleep?” Jay asks as she brings him a plate.

“I think I need to break up with Harry,” Louis answers instead. Saying the words out loud hit Louis like a punch in the gut and suddenly he feels short of breath, he’s gasping, tears filling his eyes. His mom rushes to him, taking him in his arms and murmuring soothing words to him. It’s all so much, too much for this early in the morning. As much as saying that hurt, Louis feels a sort of relief coming to that conclusion as well. 

Once he’s calmed down, getting his breathing to even out again he takes a sip of his coffee and digs into his food like nothing happened. His mom doesn’t ask any more questions, instead they sit in comfortable silence eating breakfast. 

  
  
  
  


The last time Niall threw a party on his roof was his last birthday. He’s only allowed to throw one party a year due to the time he hosted New Year’s in 2016 and nearly burned the place down when someone tried setting off fireworks. Niall got lucky he wasn’t thrown out of the building altogether, but it’s almost impossible to hate him. It doesn’t surprise Louis that Niall can practically get away with murder.

When Louis arrives, the party is in full swing. He might have arrived an hour late on purpose, still avoiding the inevitable. Liam, Harry, and Zayn are all hanging out in a corner, having drinks and laughing about something. When Harry notices Louis approaching them his face lights up and he leaves Liam and Zayn behind to wrap his arms around him in a hug.

“Baby, you’re finally here,” Harry murmurs against his ear. 

Louis closes his eyes, taking in the warmth of Harry’s embrace. He’s so soft and inviting and Louis commits this feeling to memory, knowing he won’t have it anymore.

“What took you so long to get here?” Harry asks when he pulls away.

The guys had all come early to help Niall with decorations and setting up while Louis had come up with an excuse about having to stop by the office for a little bit. In reality, he was in his office playing solitaire until he felt it was a good time to finally show up. After spending the weekend at his mom’s, Louis came back to the apartment knowing what he had to do. He texted Harry letting him know where he was and apologized for not answering his texts. Throughout the week, Louis was thrown into work which gave him the excuse he needed to be too busy to see Harry. But then Niall texted their group telling them about his birthday party and well, Louis couldn’t avoid Harry there.

“Sorry love. I’m here now.” They go and grab Louis a drink before joining their friends. Niall is around somewhere, being the man of the hour he is probably making sure to greet everyone.

“You know I was thinking,” Harry begins, lowering his voice so no one else hears them. “Maybe tonight we can tell the lads that we’re moving in together. What do you think?”

Louis’ stomach drops. They never solidified their plans on that, especially after Harry’s admission and Louis’ little getaway to his mom’s house.

Right before Louis can say anything, Niall appears before them. “It’s about time you made it Tommo. This one here was about to call a search party,” he teases. Harry blushes, denying such a thing.

“Relax, I was only an hour late,” Louis rolls his eyes.

They join Zayn and Liam, catching up with them for a bit. Zayn went back to teaching at the beginning of the school year and he’s loving it. Liam’s swamped with a new case they’re trying to keep from going to trial. Harry covered a story about a kid’s wish to ride the ferris wheel at Navy Pier. Louis doesn’t feel like he has much to report on his end. It’s like his friends are out there accomplishing things and he continues to remain at a standstill. 

There’s music pumping and drinks are flowing. Louis doesn’t want to get drunk so he sticks to beer and water. At some point they lose track of Liam and Zayn and he’s with Harry alone. Louis hates pretending that things are okay, but he also can’t break up with him right here. Harry asks him to dance and Louis reluctantly agrees, but he’s not really into it and he thinks Harry is starting to notice something’s wrong. Louis excuses himself to go to the bathroom and when he returns Harry is with Liam, Zayn and Niall.

Liam checks his watch a couple of hours later. “I need to call it a night soon. There is a pile of briefs waiting for me and I’m not looking forward to it.” With that, he says his farewells, kissing the birthday boy on the cheek before heading out. 

“We haven’t even cut the cake yet,” Niall whines, pouting. He seems to get over it quickly when his co-worker Nick calls him over to introduce him to a woman.

Not even an hour later, Zayn is telling them that he’s not feeling so well and should probably head home too. Louis excuses himself to use the bathroom again even though he doesn’t really have to go and when he returns, they’re singing “Happy Birthday” and cutting the cake. Harry’s already got a slice for Louis and he thanks him.

They find a private area of the roof that’s quieter as they stare out into the city lights. The cake is delicious, and they spend some time in silence enjoying their dessert. 

“I guess we’ll have to tell the guys about moving in another time, huh?” Harry says, breaking the peaceful silence they’d found themselves in.

Louis sighs, placing his empty plate aside. He stares out in the distance, trying to muster whatever courage he can to do what he’s been dreading to do since he got here. He takes Harry’s hand, interlacing their fingers and studying Harry’s rings. 

“Harry, I love you so much it hurts sometimes,” Louis begins. His voice is already breaking with emotion, but he pushes on through. 

Harry squeezes his hand, “I love you too, Lou.”

Louis meets Harry’s gaze. He knows he’s got unshed tears, and Harry’s smile fades when he notices it. “What’s wrong?”

Closing his eyes, Louis garners as much strength as he can muster. When he opens them again, he doesn’t break eye contact.

“I lied to you when I said we were on the same page about getting married and having children. I’ve been wanting those things for as long as I can remember.”

“I don’t understand,” Harry says slowly. “Are those things dealbreakers for you?”

Louis nods his head. “I’ve thought a lot about it. Thought up different scenarios about our future, what that looks like and I just...I know I won’t be completely happy without those things,” he explains.

Tears are starting to trail down Harry’s cheeks. He sniffs and wipes at his eyes. “But, you love me and I love you. Can’t that be enough for us to work it out? Can’t  _ we _ be enough?” There’s hope colored on Harry’s face, the same hope that Louis has been struggling to hold onto even though he knows it’s futile. 

Louis brings a finger to Harry’s cheek, caressing the skin there and wiping the tears that have left stains.

“You have no idea how much I wish that was enough. But we want different things, and if we stay together, then we’re just going to wind up resenting each other, and I don’t want that. I don’t want us to feel like we’re holding each other back from what we want.” 

Louis catches the moment the hope Harry had on his face fades away, replaced by hurt.

“But...maybe you’ll change your mind about it. Maybe in a few years you’ll realize you don’t really want those things,” Harry sounds desperate, like he’s grasping at straws trying to get Louis to stay. It shatters Louis to hear him like this.

“I don’t think I will. Would you change your mind?”

Harry looks down at his hands solemnly shaking his head.

“Can we still be friends? I don’t want to lose you completely,” Harry asks, squeezing Louis’ hand.

“Of course we can still be friends. I still want you in my life Harry, you’ve become an important part of our lives. The group won’t allow you to leave even if you tried.” They both chuckle wetly at that.

“Can I hug you?” Harry sounds so small, almost as if Louis will deny him that.

Instead of answering, Louis wraps his arms around Harry. They squeeze each other tight, neither of them willing to let go first. Louis can feel Harry’s wet face against his neck and he doesn’t miss the way he inhales him. Louis is taking his own whiff of Harry too, committing it to memory, never wanting to forget it. He knows that as soon as they leave each other today things will be different, boundaries will be put between them that neither will be able to cross. It will be hard, Louis knows, but it’s the beginning of this new chapter in his life.

They finally let go of each other, wiping their faces and looking out at the beautiful skyline.

“We’re gonna be okay, right?” Harry asks, tilting his head to face Louis.

“I hope so.”

After that, they call it a night. They say goodbye to Niall, and head to Louis’ apartment so Harry can get some of his things that he’s left at his place. It’s better to get it done now, rather than later when the breakup really hits them and things will inevitably get more difficult.

Louis can already feel the distance between them and it feels odd, but they push through it as they climb the steps and he unlocks the door. All the pain and hurt from the breakup goes temporarily out the window.

Louis and Harry both gasp when they see Liam and Zayn on the couch half naked.

“Oh my God!” Louis slams the door shut and they can hear their friends scrambling to get their clothes back on. He meets Harry’s eyes and they burst into laughter, unable to believe what they just saw.

Liam comes to the door to let them in, all red faced and unable to look them in the eye.

“What’s going on here then?” Louis asks as soon as they walk in. Zayn’s on the couch trying to act nonchalant, but Louis can’t be fooled.

Liam runs a hand through his hair. “Well, we weren’t going to tell you guys yet, but Zayn and I are back together.”

“What?” Louis and Harry shout in unison.

Zayn stands to be next to Liam, placing his arm around his waist. “Liam and I have been seeing each other for a while now. We actually wanted to announce that the wedding is back on, but we didn’t want to steal Niall’s thunder at his party.”

“Since when?” Louis asks.

Liam and Zayn look at each other, and Zayn says, “Um, since around Fourth of July?”

“You did it at the lakehouse, didn’t you?” Harry speaks up.

Zayn and Liam exchange knowing looks. “I can’t believe you’ve been hiding it from us for this long,” Louis says.

“We didn’t want it to be a big deal, especially after everything,” Liam explains. 

Zayn shrugs. “Besides, we had a lot of stuff to work out, and it was better to just do that on our own. No offense.”

“I’m really happy for you guys, and this is a huge deal. You know Niall’s going to hate that he’s the last one to know again,” Louis tells them.

They laugh about that and for a moment, Louis forgets that he and Harry broke up moments ago.

“Well, we’re going to head to bed. I’m sort of relieved you know now and we don’t have to sneak around anymore,” Liam says. “Have a good night.”

“I’m gonna have to dig my noise cancelling headphones from their grave,” Louis groans.

Zayn flips him off before bidding them goodnight as well. When they disappear into Liam’s bedroom, Harry and Louis look at each other.

“Come on,” Louis says, motioning towards the bedroom. He closes the door once Harry makes his way in and sighs. “I think we should hold off on telling the guys about us.”

Harry turns to look at him with furrowed brows. “Why?”

“Did you see how happy they looked? I don’t want to put a damper on the group’s mood. With everything Liam and Zayn have been through they deserve a moment of happiness. We can hold off for now and wait. If you don’t want to do that, I understand.”

Harry waves him off. “No, it’s fine, I don’t want to be a damper either.” His voice doesn’t sound fine but Louis doesn’t point it out.

With that, Harry collects his things. They make sure Liam and Zayn aren’t around so Harry can leave without being seen. Harry hesitates at the door, like he’s going to say something. He seems to think better of it and leaves, saying a quiet goodbye. 

Louis stares at the door long after Harry’s gone wondering if he made the right decision.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember this is a happy ending and we aren't even halfway through the story! I just finished writing chapter 15 so these two still have A LOT to go through. Hope you're enjoying the story so far, and thank you for reading!
> 
> You can come talk to me at dimpled-halo on tumblr :)


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this past couple of weeks have been insane for me. First, I had to travel last minute for a funeral, and then when I arrived home I had no internet. I was out of internet for a week and the one time I considered posting another chapter at work, the internet at work was down. Anyway, internet is back and so I'm going to post now. Updates will be once a week from now on (at least that's the plan!)

**October 2019**

Liam and Zayn tell Niall they’re back together with the rest of the group at Benny’s later that week.

“Does that mean I’m back to being the only single one in the group?” Niall asks. Louis and Harry exchange subtle glances at each other before looking away almost immediately. 

“Oh come on, Niall don’t be such a baby,” Louis tells him, patting him on the back. Niall shakes him off and excuses himself to go to the bar.

“So dramatic, that one,” Harry comments. The rest of the group nods.

Liam clears his throat. “Taking advantage that Niall’s gone, I wanted to ask you something, Louis.”

Louis’ ears perk up, giving his best friend his undivided attention. “What’s up?”

“I know I’ve asked you this before, but well...will you be my best man?” Liam looks nervous, like Louis might actually consider saying no.

“Of course, bud. Whatever you need, I’m here,” Louis assures him, raising his beer and taking a sip of it.

“There was a cancellation at the venue we wanted in December, and since we want to get married as soon as possible, we just went ahead and booked it,” Liam explains. 

“Will you guys help us with some of the preparations? We’ll have to buckle down to get everything else done,” Zayn explains, already sounding stressed out.

“Of course, Zee. Just tell us what you need and we’ll try our best,” Harry tells him.

Liam and Zayn exchange sighs of relief, snuggling into each other in the booth. They’ve been insufferable, possibly even worse than before they broke up, or maybe it’s because Louis is single now that he notices it more.

Louis may be single, but it doesn’t feel like much has changed between him and Harry. They don’t have sleepovers for obvious reasons, but when they’re in their group of friends, they still seem to gravitate toward each other, partly because they’re trying to keep up appearances. Still, Louis thought he would feel more miserable than he has been, though he doesn’t want to jinx it. 

With the craziness of the wedding preparations, Harry and Louis agree to tell their friends after the wedding is over about their breakup. It isn’t ideal, but they agree that it’s for the best since they don’t want to pile on more stress for Zayn and Liam. 

Liam’s parents are hosting a Halloween slash engagement party for the couple. Harry and Louis agree to meet at the apartment and ride together in the spirit of keeping up appearances. Harry shows up at Louis’ door as Elton John with a sparkly Dodgers costume and pink glitter sunglasses.

“You look good,” Louis tells him, letting him into the apartment. He hasn’t put his costume on yet, having just got out of the shower. He has a towel wrapped around his waist, and self consciously holds it together.

“Thanks. What are you supposed to be?” Harry asks, not even trying to be subtle with the way he’s checking him out. Louis flushes at the attention.

“I’m not...this isn’t a costume. I just got out of the shower. How about you make yourself at home and I’ll be right out.”

Harry nods and Louis turns to disappear into his bedroom. He takes a deep breath, not sure how he’s going to survive tonight. Most of the time they’ve spent together this past month has been with their group of friends. This is the first time they’re actually alone in his apartment and Louis doesn’t know how he’s supposed to act. He shakes himself out of it and slips into his Spiderman costume, checking himself out in the mirror before joining Harry back in the living room. 

Louis doesn’t miss the way Harry’s eyes go wide when he sees his costume. He may be feeling a bit smug at the way his cheeks pinken. 

“You ready to go?” Louis breaks the silence. 

Harry’s head snaps up from where he was eyeing his thighs and clears his throat. “Uh yeah. Let’s go.”

Louis might take advantage and walk in front of Harry sticking his ass out more than usual, swiveling his hips from side to side with a little exaggeration just to torture him a bit. 

The ride to Liam’s parents’ house is awkward. It’s so quiet that Louis finds himself turning on the radio just to have some noise filling the space. It’s not that Louis doesn’t want to talk to Harry, he really does. In spite of seeing him all the time when they hang out with their group, he hasn’t had a chance to really talk to him, he only knows the details Harry gives away when they’re all talking and catching up. Louis wants to know how he’s doing, how he’s coping. As much as he wants to ask these questions he holds off, not sure if he’s ready to know the answer just yet.

Liam’s mom, Karen, answers the door in a ladybug costume, hugging them both and leading them inside. She tells them to help themselves and that Liam and Zayn are around somewhere entertaining guests. 

They run into Niall, who’s dressed as a leprechaun.

“Hey look, it’s Lucky Charms!” Louis greets.

Niall rolls his eyes, “Fuck you, Tommo.” He wrinkles his eyebrows, pointing between Louis and Harry. “Aren’t couples supposed to be all matchy matchy?”

“There’s no rule that says couples need to match, Nialler. Besides, we couldn’t decide on one so we decided to just do our own thing,” Louis easily lies. 

Harry turns to look at him with his brows arched before just nodding along. “Yeah, Niall,” he agrees.

“Whatever, I’m getting another drink. This party is a snooze fest,” Niall announces, disappearing into the crowd. 

The couple of the hour appear before them as Batman and Robin. “Where’s your couple’s costume?” Zayn asks, disappointment in his face even with the mask over his eyes.

Louis rolls his eyes. “For God’s sake, it’s not law for couples to match costume!”

“What’s wrong with him?” Liam asks Harry, pointing at Louis.

Harry shrugs. “Beats me. I think his costume might be too tight and it’s making him cranky.”

“Guys, I’m right here. You don’t have to talk about me in front of my face.”

They all stare at him, amused. 

“Anyway, there’s a buffet table in the kitchen, so help yourself. We have to go mingle and suffer through our families giving Zayn a hard time for cancelling the wedding last time,” Liam says. Zayn visibly sighs and Liam puts his arm around him. “Come on, babe.”

Louis goes to grab a drink, leaving Harry behind to do his own thing. He runs into Liam’s sister Ruth and they catch up for a bit. They get lost in conversation while she shows him pictures of her little ones. She eventually gets interrupted by a call from her babysitter, excusing herself to take the call in a more private area. Louis refills his drink and makes his way over to the kitchen to get some food. He finds Harry talking to one of Zayn’s sisters so he decides to find somewhere to sit and eat. 

Liam and Zayn find him again and they get food of their own, complaining about how hungry they are and how they haven’t had a chance to just take a breather.

“Just think of it as practice for your wedding. I’m sure you won’t even have time to eat then,” Louis tells them.

“God, please don’t say that. I’m already looking forward to Doniya’s crab cakes,” Liam groans.

After dinner, the grooms’ parents give a small toast on their excitement for their sons’ wedding. The living room opens up into a makeshift dance floor and it all seems to get more crowded somehow. Louis steps out to get some fresh air and to get a breather from Harry. Louis has caught him staring a few times, and he doesn’t want to think about what it means or what’s going on in his head. He won’t. Louis admits that he’s found it hard to keep his own gaze away from his ex, but he can’t help it. 

Harry’s gorgeous as always, his hair getting longer every time he sees him and Louis just wants to pull on it and fuck the daylights out of him. Broken up or not, the attraction between them is never going to go away. A part of him hates that.

When the party begins to wind down, Louis is ready to call it a night. He checks with Harry to see if he’s on the same page, which he is. They find their friends to bid them goodbye before making their way out toward Louis’ car. 

Just like on the way to the party, the silence is deafening on the way to Harry’s apartment. This time, Louis doesn’t attempt to cover it up with music, instead he lets it linger, seeing if Harry will be the first to break it. 

Harry clears his throat and Louis startles a bit at the sudden noise. “The food was good,” he says casually.

Louis wants to snort and tease Harry, but then he also doesn’t want it to discourage him to keep talking. Instead, Louis nods.

“It was,” he says, keeping his eyes on the road. He takes the exit that will lead him to Harry’s apartment.

“You know, I still have some of your clothes at my place. Never got around to coming around to get them,” Harry points out.

He’s right. Louis has been avoiding the inevitable collection of his personal things from Harry’s apartment. He supposes tonight is a good time to do it, especially since Liam and Zayn aren’t home and won’t be around to question him if he were to run into them.

“Oh, right. I can come by now if that’s okay,” Louis says.

“Sounds good.”

Louis finds parking after a few times around the block and they head to Harry’s building. Harry leads the way, unlocking his door and letting Louis inside. Nothing’s really changed since the last time Louis was here. When they had that conversation that ultimately led to the end of their relationship. Louis shoves those memories back as far as he can, instead focusing on the task at hand. Louis follows Harry into the bedroom, Harry’s scent filling his senses as soon as he walks in. Harry already has his things gathered on a chair in the corner of his room. He takes the folded items and turns to hand them to Louis.

“Here you go,” Harry says, his voice contains a hint of rasp to it. Louis doesn’t want to think about why that is.

“Thanks,” Louis says, taking the clothes into his arms.

Louis makes the mistake of meeting Harry’s eyes as their hands accidentally brush. He doesn’t miss the way Harry’s eyes trail down to his lips or the way they darken when they meet him again. Before Louis can even think, Harry is attacking his mouth, letting the clothes drop on the floor. Harry’s hands cup Louis’ face and Louis grabs the back of Harry’s head to pull him closer. They gasp into each other’s mouths, like getting that first breath of oxygen after being deprived of air for so long. 

Harry’s taste and scent take over all of Louis’ senses in an instant. He’s everywhere and Louis still can’t get enough. He wants more. Their hands trail down to their clothing and before they know it, it’s all coming off and they’re laying naked on the bed, licking into each other’s mouths and touching any skin they can get their hands on. Harry is warm and so pliant. He’s always been so responsive to Louis’ touch and tonight it’s no different. It’s been nearly two months of being apart and it still feels so easy, like they’ve never stopped doing this.

Louis’ only thoughts are filled with Harry and needing to be inside of him yesterday. They work fast and sloppily. Louis fingers Harry open like the world is about to end and time is running out for them. Harry shoves his hand away, insisting that he’s ready and after rolling the condom and getting more lube, Louis is at Harry’s entrance. He stares at Harry, taking him in with his flushed cheeks and red lips. Louis leans in to kiss him at the same time as he pushes in, both of them groaning like they’ve been waiting their entire lives to do this.

It feels like their first time, when they were so desperate for each other. This time it’s more carnal, with Harry digging his nails in Louis’ back and Louis sucking marks anywhere he can get his mouth on. His thrusts are punishing, their skin making loud slapping noises that echo in the room, only being drowned out by their moans. Harry yelps after one particular hard thrust and Louis pulls out quickly to roll Harry over on all fours before sliding back in. He takes Harry’s hip with one hand and his hair with the other to get a good grip before slamming into him time and time again.

Harry mewls and pants for Louis to go harder, to give him more, and he does. Louis would give him the entire world if Harry asked for it. Before he knows it, Harry tenses up and he’s coming, his body convulsing as he spills all over the bed beneath him. Louis doesn’t stop, he continues to thrust chasing his own release ultimately spilling into the condom and latching onto Harry’s shoulder as he’s coming.

When they come down, Louis pulls out, wincing at the bite mark he’s left on Harry’s skin. Harry is boneless on the bed, only moving to look over his shoulder when Louis hops off the bed to get some wet wipes to clean them up. 

Louis wants to stay, he wants to take Harry into his arms and cuddle him until they fall asleep. He wants that more than anything right now. But if he does that, he knows they’ll fall back into a place where they shouldn’t, so instead of joining Harry back on the bed after cleaning up, he grabs a pair of sweats and a t-shirt from the stack of clothes they dropped on the floor in the heat of the moment and puts them on. He gathers the rest of his things, then sits on the bed next to Harry.

Harry’s gaze hasn’t wavered from Louis, his eyes say more than he could ever say out loud. Louis almost wants to say fuck it all and just stay, but he knows he can’t do that. Instead, he caresses Harry’s face, leans down to kiss him on top of his head.

“Goodnight, Haz,” he says before standing to walk out of the room. He thinks he hears Harry calling him, but he ignores it and continues on his way back to his car.

  
  


As soon as November hits, their apartment becomes wedding planning central. Louis is stuck stuffing envelopes with Liam and Zayn because they’d been delayed at the printers and now they had to send them out no later than the end of the week. He gets roped into cake tastings with them to be a tiebreaker between the couple but in the end, Liam and Zayn end up agreeing on flavors anyway.

In the midst of the madness, Louis hardly sees Harry except for the rare occasion they hang out at Benny’s. Lately everyone’s been so busy, they’ve hardly had time to even do that. They never talked about what happened Halloween night, and Louis feels like an ass for the way they left things but in the end it’s for the best. It’s best to forget it ever happened than to try and complicate things.

When Thanksgiving is right around the corner, they don’t do a Friendsgiving because Liam and Zayn have a wedding shower hosted by Zayn’s parents. Louis doesn’t go, instead he takes a long weekend off to go home and spend Thanksgiving with his family. Louis has been so stressed out it’s like he’s the one that’s about to get married.

It feels good to be around his mom and siblings and he finally gets to see Lottie. They take advantage of the holiday and having the entire family around to make the announcement that she’s pregnant and Louis acts surprised like he’d promised his mom he would. He hugs his sister, congratulating her and her boyfriend. She’s not showing just yet, but she’s still glowing, looking so happy for their little one on the way. 

Louis doesn’t want to go back to the apartment just yet. He’s enjoying his family time too much, but then he gets a frantic text from Liam that their band cancelled last minute and they need to find something else fast before Zayn freaks. Louis reluctantly packs his bags and drives to the city to help Liam find an alternative.

When Louis arrives at the apartment, he doesn’t expect to see Harry on the couch watching television. He turns to see who’s arrived and Louis can see the brief panic in his eyes before it disappears as quickly as it came.

“Um, hey. Where’s Liam?” Louis asks, dropping his back to the side.

“Went to see about a possible band that might be open,” Harry says. “I was tasked to stay and finish the table chart.”

Sure enough, there’s a table chart on the coffee table with different colored pins on them.

“Did you finish?” Louis asks sitting on the opposite side of the couch.

“No, I got bored so I decided to watch an episode of How I Met Your Mother before continuing.”

Louis nods. “Understood. I can help if you’d like?” he offers.

“Sure,” Harry shrugs. He gives Louis a list and he keeps another one. “There’s like six tables left to do so you can take half and I’ll take the other.”

Louis takes the list from Harry and examines it. Seems simple enough. “Perfect.”

They get to work while the show continues to play in the background. Louis is grateful for the noise because it helps things make less awkward. This is the first time they’ve been alone since the night they slept together, and Louis can’t bring himself to look at Harry. He focuses on the chart before him and getting the pins in the right place. 

After a couple of episodes, Netflix pauses to ask if they’re still watching and Harry doesn’t move to fix it. The silence that falls between them makes the elephant in the room more obvious than ever, as if it’s sitting right on the coffee table between them. Suddenly, Louis feels the need to speak up.

“Harry, listen...I…” 

Harry raises his hand, “Lou, please don’t.” He looks up from the chart, his eyes pleading. “It’s fine. It was just a one off, right? A way for us to get closure, lock it up and throw away the key, I get it. There’s no need to bring it up ever again, okay?”

The way Harry says it makes Louis’ chest ache. To him it was more than just a one off, but if this is the way Harry sees it, Louis isn’t going to make him think otherwise. Instead he swallows down the emotions threatening to spill out of him and nods. 

“Right. Closure.” He clears his throat and continues to work on the last table on the list.

Harry grabs the remote to get the show playing again and Louis feels his shoulders relax when the noise fills the room again.

  
  


Because Louis was chosen to be Liam’s best man, and Zayn chose one of his sisters, Niall demanded that he at least get to throw the bachelor party for his friends. Zayn and Liam eventually gave in to get Niall off their backs, and Louis was relieved to not have to worry about planning one.

Louis and Harry were tasked to blindfold the grooms, throw them in the car and drive them to the address provided. Neither of them have a clue what the location is so they just follow Niall’s instructions.

“I’m scared of what Niall has in store for us,” Liam admits from the backseat.

“Me too,” Zayn agrees.

Louis and Harry exchange a look and they smile to themselves. Even though they have no idea what Niall has up his sleeve for tonight, it’s fun to watch their friends squirm in anticipation.

It comes to no surprise to him when they pull up to a building with a huge neon pink sign that reads “Pink Monkey” that they’d end up at a strip club no matter how many times Liam and Zayn insisted they didn’t want one. Niall’s never been one to listen to anyone anyway.

Louis shuts off the engine and he and Harry work on helping the grooms out of the car without any incident. They guide them toward the building where Niall’s outside with a huge grin on his face. Niall gestures for them to get the blindfolds off so they do. Liam and Zayn rub their eyes and stare at Niall. 

“Where are we?” Zayn asks.

Niall rubs his hands together. “Come right this way.”

They walk down a dark corridor with black walls and neon pink lights outlining the edges. There is music pumping that gets louder the more they walk. They’re led to a private event room that has a table and two stripper poles— one on each end of the room. They decided to keep the bachelor party more low key so they only invited close friends. Some of those people are already here, and Louis watches as the grooms take in their surroundings. They don’t seem too bothered by the fact that they’re at a strip club so Louis already considers that a win.

They munch on appetizers and drink alcohol until they’ve got a good buzz going. Liam and Zayn mingle with everyone and every once in a while a stripper will come by and give them each a lap dance. There’s one guy and one girl stripper who occasionally show off some of their moves on the pole before they go around the room to see who’d like a lap dance. The guy is gorgeous, with black wavy hair and a six pack that Louis wouldn’t mind licking, but every time he comes by to offer Louis a dance, he waves him off, not feeling brave enough just yet.

Harry doesn’t seem to be having that dilemma because after Louis waves the stripper off, he moves on to him. Louis can’t take his eyes away when the stripper leans in to Harry’s ear to talk to him. Harry grins, nodding, and the stripper smiles in return, turning around to shove his ass in Harry’s face. Okay so maybe shoving is a bit of an exaggeration, but his ass is really close to Harry’s face. Harry seems to be loving the attention and his eyes stay glued to the stripper’s body as he continues to rub his ass on Harry’s crotch.

Louis stands abruptly to go get another drink, not wanting to see another second of his ex getting dry humped by a hot stranger. 

“What’s up bud, you look like you’re about to bite someone’s head off?” Zayn asks, finding him at the bar.

Louis gulps down his whiskey in one go asking for another one. “Nothing, just thirsty.”

Zayn doesn’t look like he believes him, but leaves it alone. Before they can get into any conversation, Zayn gets pulled away by a guest so Louis uses that as his escape to avoid his further questioning. Louis can’t wait for the wedding to be over so that he and Harry don’t have to pretend anymore. It’s not like they’re still lovey dovey or anything because they’re not, their friends have just been too busy to even notice. It’s still difficult not being able to have his friends to talk to about this. He only needs to make it through another week before it’s all over.

Louis returns to his seat and by now the stripper has moved on from Harry to someone else. He can feel the alcohol starting to course through his veins, taking him to his happy place and suddenly he can’t stop smiling. At one point he waves the stripper over with an interested smirk.

When the stripper walks over to him, he leans in to whisper in his ear. “You ready for me, hon?”

His breath makes Louis’ skin tingle. Louis nods. “Yes please. What’s your name?” He asks not wanting to keep referring to him as the stripper in his head.

The guy smiles as he pulls away. “You can call me Miguel,” he winks before turning around to give Louis a full view of his plump ass. He’s wearing nothing but red underwear that are so tiny they leave very little to the imagination.

Miguel gyrates his hips before finally making contact with Louis, rubbing himself on his crotch and leaning his head back against his shoulder. Louis can’t help but let out a soft moan when Miguel grabs Louis’ hands and places them on his abs. They’re smooth and shiny and he can’t help but run his fingers down his torso while Miguel continues to move to the music. When he turns around, Miguel’s dick is bulging from his underwear just inches from Louis’ face, he can’t help but lick his lips at the sight. 

Louis shakes himself out of his stupor just in time for Miguel to put his hands on his shoulders.

“Thanks for the dance, Papi,” Miguel rasps before pulling away. Louis scrambles to grab some cash from his wallet, handing him a fifty dollar bill because he was that good.

Miguel’s eyes light up and he nods in appreciation before moving on to the next person.

Louis needs to find a bathroom because he has an embarrassing boner he needs to get rid of, so he leaves the event room. After getting turned around a couple of times, he finally finds it and he breathes a sigh of relief when he locks himself into a stall to slide his hand down his pants and get himself off. It’s embarrassing how quick he comes, he doesn’t even bother trying to muffle his moan when he reaches orgasm. He cleans up, takes a piss and flushes before coming out of the stall and doesn’t expect to find Harry leaning against the wall with a sour look on his face. Louis doesn’t say anything, just moves onto the sink to wash his hands. He can’t help but wonder if Harry heard him get off a few minutes ago.

When he looks in the mirror, Harry is staring right at him. Louis doesn’t move, his gaze doesn’t waver from his. Harry steps off the wall, approaching Louis so slowly Louis almost wants to growl in desperation telling him to get on with it. They’re suddenly mere inches away, Harry’s body heat radiates making Louis shiver. He can feel his breath on his neck and he remains still, waiting.

Harry’s hand trails up Louis’ arm before settling on his hip, squeezing it hard. He spins him around until his back digs against the counter, nosing at his cheek.

“I can’t stand to see anyone else have their hands on you. It’s driving me mad,” Harry growls in his ear.

The sound of Harry’s voice gives Louis goosebumps, his cock twitching in his pants. This shouldn’t be so hot, but somehow seeing Harry like this makes him want to ravish him. Louis swallows hard, his eyes moving to meet Harry’s dark ones.

“Miguel was putting his hands on everyone, not just me. In fact, I remember him being all over you not too long ago,” Louis can’t help but point out. 

Harry cups his cheek, his nose rubbing against Louis.’ He exhales, “Yes, I know. I just...I thought I’d be able to take it, but it took everything in me not to go and pull him off you, I swear.”

Louis closes his eyes, feeling the heat of Harry’s breath. When he opens them again, he’s met with Harry’s troubled stare.

“Haz, we talked about this. We agreed this was for the best, okay? As much as we’re going to hate seeing each other with other people, it’s bound to happen, right?” Louis doesn’t know how he manages to get the words out, but it’s something they both need to hear and remember.

Harry squeezes his eyes shut, shaking his head. “No, no. _You_ decided this was the best. I, I just want _you_ , Louis. Please, just let me have you again.” He leans in to capture Louis’ lips in a kiss and it takes his breath away. For a moment he forgets what’s happening. He forgets that he and Harry aren’t together and that they don’t want the same things.

It takes Louis almost a minute to come back to earth and garner the strength to place his hands on Harry’s chest and push him away at a safer distance where he can think more clearly.

“Harry, we can’t,” he gasps.

Harry looks almost crazed, his eyes wide and face flushed. Louis can only imagine how he looks staring back at him. He sees when it seems to hit Harry, his shoulders slump and he lets out a breath.

“Okay. Yeah, okay,” he whispers walking backwards until they’re a few feet apart. “I’m sorry, Louis,” he says before walking out of the bathroom, leaving a turned on and confused Louis behind.

  
  


There’s a loud knock on Louis’ bedroom door that makes him jump with a startle. 

“Louis wake up! We need to be at the hotel in an hour!” Liam calls from the other side.

Louis groans, pulling the pillow over his head. On the upside, today is wedding day and Louis gets to see two of his best friends make vows to each other to be together forever. On the downside, today is wedding day and Louis will most likely be running around like a headless chicken trying to make sure the grooms get everything they want. He removes the pillow from his face, staring at the ceiling and calling out to the gods above for all the strength he needs to get through today. 

After showering and throwing on some sweats, they gather the things they need to take with them. It’s just Liam and Louis at the apartment. Zayn stayed at Harry’s for the night because a part of them wanted to be traditional and not see each other until they walk down the aisle. Louis thinks it’s cute, and so he helps Liam grab the garment bags to load them in the car.

When they arrive at the hotel, they check into the room Liam and Zayn will be spending the night in as they’ll be using it to get ready. Zayn is going to use Niall’s hotel room that he booked, claiming it would be easier to take someone upstairs to hook up rather than worrying about traveling to his apartment. Louis leaves his and Liam’s suits on the bed and excuses himself to take the rest of the garment bags to Zayn.

Louis knocks on the door when he arrives at the room Niall had texted him. He doesn’t expect Harry to be the one to answer. They haven’t spoken since the bachelor party and Louis’ face heats up as soon as their eyes meet. 

“Um hi. Just here to drop these off,” Louis finally says lifting the bags in his arms. 

Harry nods, holding the door open for Louis to come inside. He doesn’t see Zayn or Niall anywhere so he turns to face Harry again.

“Where’s Zayn?”

Harry points his thumb behind him. “In the bathroom. He’s nervous as fuck so I made him get in the shower to get him to calm down.”

“Good call,” Louis tells him. He places the suits on the bed and rubs his hands together. “Well, I’ll see you in a bit,” he says, making his way back to the door.

Harry stops him, his hand on Louis’ forearm. “Lou, wait.”

Louis reluctantly turns, nervous about what Harry might have to say. 

“Are we still planning on telling everyone after the wedding?” 

Louis nods but before he can say it, Zayn is walking into the room.

“Tell everyone what?” He asks, his hands on his hips.

Harry and Louis nearly snap their necks looking in Zayn’s direction with eyes wide. Louis quickly recovers, clearing his throat.

“Nothing to worry about right now, Zee. How are you feeling?”

Zayn doesn’t buy it, his brows furrowed exchanging glances between Louis and Harry. 

“Seriously, what are you planning to tell us after the wedding?” Zayn insists again.

Harry blows out a puff of air waving him off. “Louis’ right. It’s nothing important and it can wait until later. Now, Louis just brought your suit, so let’s get you ready.”

Zayn doesn’t move at first, still not convinced, but then he looks at the time and seems to realize he doesn’t have much more moments to waste so he jumps into action.

“Alright then, I’ll see you on the other side,” Louis waves off, glancing at Harry over Zayn’s head before finally heading out the door. That was a close one.

  


There are a few hiccups before the ceremony. The flowers get delayed and their officiant has a family emergency so they aren’t able to make it. Niall comes to the rescue by getting ordained online in just minutes. Liam seems wary about it at first, but eventually warms up to the idea that one of their close friends will be marrying them.

After that’s settled, things begin to run smoothly. The ceremony is nearly perfect. Louis can’t help but watch Liam’s face as he watches Zayn walk down the aisle. He tears up watching them look so in love with each other, like they’ve forgotten about everyone else in the room. Louis does his job as best man, handing out the rings when called upon. Niall does a surprisingly great job at officiating, adding little tidbits about the couple and throwing in some humor to make people laugh to ease some of the emotions.

Louis can’t help but glance at Harry from time to time. He sits in the second row and is just as emotional as everyone else. The simple navy blue suit and fedora he wears makes him the most beautiful person in the room. 

Everything is a whirlwind once Liam and Zayn are pronounced husbands. There’s pictures, the reception, Louis’ best man speech which he totally slays if he does say so himself. He threw in a few jokes while telling embarrassing stories of Liam and Zayn in college, everyone loved it even though Liam was beet red by the end of it. By the time the first dance comes along, Louis is on his third or fourth cocktail, he can’t really remember. He can’t take his eyes off the lovely couple.

Louis thinks about what a difficult year this has been for them and how, despite the obstacles, they still came through it stronger than ever. He can’t help but replay Harry’s words in his head, the way he used Zayn and Liam’s breakup as an example to why he doesn’t want to get married. Watching his best friends dance, the way they stare into each other’s eyes and look so unbelievably happy— Louis wants that with all his being. He knows that he can’t settle, not when there’s someone out there who wants those things. He’s gotten to a point where he’s learned to accept that Harry’s not that person, he and Harry aren’t meant to be, but it doesn’t mean it doesn’t hurt any less. Louis just hopes that the pain will diminish as time passes.

Downing the rest of the contents in his glass, Louis sets it down and stands to approach Harry who’s on the opposite side of the table. He’s laughing at something Zayn’s sister said. His dimple is out and when he sees Louis walking towards him he pauses, eyes on him with a question on his face.

Louis extends his hand. “Can I have this dance?”

There is a brief hesitancy in Harry’s eyes, but then he softens, nodding as he takes Louis’ hand with a small smile. “The Night We Met” by Lord Huron begins to play just as they arrive at the dance floor. Louis places his hand on Harry’s waist and Harry’s hand rests on his shoulder. He pulls him close but with enough distance to be able to stare into his eyes. They sway in perfect rhythm, neither of them daring to look away from the other. The realization of what’s to come settles between them, understanding filling their features. No words need to be exchanged, instead Harry rests his head on Louis’ shoulder as they continue moving to the music. Louis’ heart feels full and empty at the same time, something he’ll have to get used to from now on. 

When the song ends, they don’t move to leave. They stand face to face and Louis’ lips curve into a sad smile. He leans to kiss Harry on the lips, it’s chaste and quick. A farewell they’ve both learned to accept.

With that, Louis turns to leave, weaving through the crowd to get some fresh air. He ends up on a balcony, thick snowflakes falling from the sky. The moonlight reflecting on them makes it look like raining glitter. It’s beautiful. The cold is bearable for now and he looks out at the sky, contemplating what he’s going to do next. Now that he’s let go of Harry for good he doesn’t know where to go from here. Only time will tell.

“What are you doing out here in the cold?” Zayn’s voice brings Louis back to the present. 

Louis looks over his shoulder and sees Zayn standing behind him, rubbing his arms with a concerned look on his face.

“Just wanted to get some fresh air.” Louis shrugs, sticking his hands in his pockets. “What are you doing out here? Already bored with married life?”

Zayn smirks, “I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of that.”

“God, you guys are going to be even more disgusting aren’t you?” Louis asks. Zayn just shrugs not looking one bit apologetic.

Zayn pulls out a pack of cigarettes and offers Louis one. He’d quit a while back, but on occasion he’ll have one just to tamp down the craving and tonight he really deserves one. They light up and Louis takes a drag, the smoke burning his lungs in the most satisfying way. 

“So are you going to tell me what you and Harry were talking about this morning? Don’t think I forgot,” Zayn speaks up, breaking the silence that had fallen upon them. 

Louis just stares at the snow that continues to fall, falling in a sort of daze with it. He and Harry never discussed how they’d tell the group, just that it would be after the wedding, which he supposes is now. 

He takes another drag of his cigarette, inhaling and exhaling slowly before the words slip out of his mouth. 

“Harry and I broke up.” This time the words don’t send him into an anxiety attack, but his heart twinges hearing himself saying it out loud. “We’ve been broken up for a while,” he admits.

Zayn, to his surprise, doesn’t look shocked. Instead he nods slowly as he sucks on his cigarette, tapping out the ashes. 

“Are you going to be okay?” Zayn looks at him to see Louis’ reaction to his question.

Louis puts out his cigarette and continues looking at the view before them. 

“I don’t know. Only time will tell.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Remember this is a happy ending and we aren't even halfway through the story! I just finished writing chapter 15 so these two still have A LOT to go through. Hope you're enjoying the story so far, and thank you for reading!
> 
> You can come talk to me at dimpled-halo on tumblr :)


	9. Chapter 9

**January 2020**

After the holidays, Louis has the apartment all to himself while Liam and Zayn travel to Cancun for their honeymoon. Louis would love to get away, but he doesn’t think his friends would appreciate him crashing their trip. Instead, he takes time off work and has his own staycation, spending most of his days lying on the couch binge watching as many rom coms as he can get his hands on. 

Louis could kiss the inventor of all things delivery because he doesn’t have to leave to get food when he can pay someone else to get it for him. He gives himself time to mourn his failed relationship and part of that includes wallowing for a little bit. However, as soon as it’s time to go back to work he’s going to put himself back together and start moving on. 

But not now.

Now, he picks up the Cheeto he just dropped on his shirt and shoves it in his mouth while he continues watching Jack and Rose try to make it out of the Titanic alive. Okay, so maybe it’s not a rom-com, but at least it helps Louis feel better knowing his relationship wasn’t the only one that died.

Niall attempts to text him a few times to get him to go out and be his wingman. Louis keeps denying him though, not really in the mood to interact with other humans at the moment. 

He hasn’t heard from Harry since the wedding. After everyone found out about the breakup, the guys were supportive and understood their need to take some time to themselves. They made sure to let Harry know they still wanted him to be a part of the group just like Louis knew they would. Harry announced he was going on vacation to Jamaica before heading to the UK for Christmas. 

Louis may have Instagram stalked Harry to find out that he was in New York for New Year’s to cover the event for his news channel. However, he hasn’t posted anything since and Louis has no idea if he’s back in town or still traveling the world. A part of him wants to send him a text, see how he’s doing but the other part stops him when he picks up the phone. This time apart from each other is good and Louis doesn’t want to ruin it for Harry with a simple text. 

It’s been nearly a month since Louis has seen Harry and he’s not sure if he’s ready yet. Just the thought of them being in the same room makes his stomach fill with nerves. He knows he’ll eventually have to rip the bandaid off, but right now is not the time. 

In a couple of days, he has to go pick up the newlywed couple from the airport and Louis is sure they’ll make an effort to get the group together again, so he’ll wait until then.

In the meantime, Louis picks up his phone to get on the Doordash app and orders Thai for dinner.

  
  
  


Before he knows it, he’s dragging himself out of bed at the ass crack of dawn because for some godforsaken reason Liam and Zayn decided to fly into the city at six in the freaking morning. They just had a blizzard the night before, so Louis spends over half an hour cleaning the snow off his car and warming it up before having to drive another half hour to O’Hare airport to pick them up. 

“Well, you look happy to see us. I’ve never felt so welcomed back home in my life,” Liam deadpans when Louis meets them at arrivals. 

Louis groans. “Please, it’s too early for this. How about you buy me a coffee on the way home and then I’ll give you a proper welcome.”

“That sounds vaguely dirty. I don’t know if I should be jealous or turned on,” Zayn says as they load up the trunk. 

They drive to the diner close to the apartment and Louis drinks two mugs of coffee before he begins to feel somewhat like himself.

“So how was the trip?” he asks after the waitress takes their orders.

Liam and Zayn light up as they start recounting their entire trip from the entertaining events leading up to boarding their plane to the scuba diving instructor that wouldn’t stop staring at Liam’s ass. It sounds like they had so much fun, both of them still looking pink skinned from their time in the sun. 

“What have you been up to while we were away?” Liam asks, taking a bite of bacon.

Louis shrugs. “Oh, you know just swamped with the amount of Cheetos and ice cream I devoured faster than I’d like to admit. Had lots of meetings with every rom-com you can think of and in that time only brought myself to shower twice. So you know, had a blast.”

Zayn and Liam exchange worried looks before focusing on Louis. He can’t bring himself to see the pity in their eyes he knows is there and instead focuses on the waffles drenched in syrup before him, taking a forkful into his mouth.

“Have you heard from Harry?” Zayn asks gently.

Louis shakes his head. “Nope,” he mumbles with his mouth full.

“Eventually you’re going to have to see him. Remember we’re all going out for Zayn’s birthday this weekend,” Liam reminds him.

“Aren’t you guys exhausted from your vacation? Don’t you want to just sleep until you have to be back at work on Monday?”

Zayn rolls his eyes. “It’s just going to be a low key dinner at the apartment. We’ve missed you guys, so we want to see you. Plus, we brought you all gifts.”

Louis’ lips form into a thin line as he considers them. “Fine. They better be good presents.”

They go back to the apartment and Louis passes out again until early afternoon. When he wakes up, Zayn and Liam are working on unpacking and preparing loads for laundry. Louis isn’t a complete monster and actually cleaned up the place before his roommates returned, but he does momentarily forget where he placed his bag of Doritos when he didn’t see them under the couch cushion.

When he turns on the television, there’s a rerun of Love Actually playing on the channel and Louis can’t bring himself to change it to anything else. He grabs a couple of beers from the fridge and a snack from the pantry, sets them on the coffee table and settles on the couch to watch the rest of it while munching on his chips. Eventually he’s joined by Liam and Zayn, each one on either side of him. They cuddle him without saying a word, just spending time together enjoying each other’s company. It’s been months since they’ve done this and Louis missed it.

The following day, Friday, Liam makes Louis shower and get dressed to accompany him to the store to get supplies for Zayn’s birthday dinner. Louis knows he doesn’t really have a choice in the matter so he does as he’s told. 

They drive to the grocery store and Liam hands Louis his phone so he can read off the items off a list. When Louis looks he pauses, not expecting to see an open text conversation with Harry.

Louis seems to realize it and cringes. “Sorry, I forgot to tell you that Harry’s going to help me with dinner tonight so he sent me the list of ingredients we need to get.”

“No worries. Now, what do we need,” he quickly changes the subject. 

He grabs a cart on their way inside the store and get to work. At one point Niall calls them on Liam’s phone to confirm stuff about the cake he’ll be picking up before they get back to their task. Louis doesn’t know how long they’re there for, but it feels like an eternity with the way his stomach grumbles by the time they line up at the register.

“Haven’t you heard don’t go shopping when you’re hungry? You should have fed me first,” Louis says while eating a bag of chips he couldn’t wait to open. He doesn’t miss the way the cashier eyes him unamused, but he doesn’t care. It’s not like he’s not going to pay for them. 

After they pay, they load up the car and pick up some McDonald’s on their way to the apartment. They manage to carry everything upstairs on their own because neither of them wants to make Zayn work for his birthday dinner.

Louis’ stomach drops when they walk through the door. Seeing Harry on the couch was not what he was expecting. Harry stands to help Liam with some of the bags, carrying them into the kitchen.

“Haz, what are you doing here so early?” Liam asks.

Louis busies himself taking stuff out of the bags, trying his best not to look in Harry’s direction. He caught a glimpse of tanned skin and that was enough for him to avert his gaze.

“Thought you might need help setting up. Plus, I haven’t seen you guys since the wedding and all,” Harry replies. 

When he’s done putting things away, Louis excuses himself with his bag of food, leaving Harry and Liam in the middle of a conversation about the Beef Wellington they’re going to make. He wasn’t prepared to see Harry yet, and having him here in his apartment walking around just like he belongs is messing with Louis’ head. It reminds him too much of the times he’d come over and spend the night, waking up in the mornings to Harry standing by the stove preparing a full English breakfast insisting Louis try it. It’s all too much too fast and Louis needs a breather.

He digs into his food since eating his emotions has never failed him, especially these past few weeks. A gentle knock at the door makes him jump and his heart stutters, already knowing who’s on the other side.

“Come in,” Louis calls before stuffing his face with fries. 

Harry peeks his head inside with a hesitant smile on his face before coming in and closing the door, leaning against it. Louis doesn’t stop eating, needing anything to distract himself from looking at Harry. He’s still not ready, doesn’t think he’ll ever be.

“Hey, Lou,” Harry’s deep voice gives Louis chills. It’s been so long since he’s been this close to him, he doesn’t know how much more he can take. 

Louis nods. “Hey.”

“You look good,” Harry continues.

Louis freezes, his eyes finally managing to meet Harry’s. He’s staring at him with a careful look and Louis wipes the grease off his face self consciously. Harry’s hair has grown a bit and maybe it’s because they haven’t seen each other in a month, but it looks a lot longer. His skin is tanned and fucking glowing and it just isn’t fair. Harry doesn’t look like he’s been going through hell trying to get over their break up, in fact, he looks the complete opposite. It looks like being apart from Louis has done wonders for him, making him even more gorgeous than he already was if that’s even possible. 

He shakes himself out of his thoughts because he’s been silent for almost too long. Clearing his throat he swallows the rest of his food. 

“Um, thanks. So do you,” Louis murmurs.

Louis thinks this is it, they’ve finally gotten over the initial encounter and Harry’s finally going to leave and let him stuff his face with the rest of the food he bought. Instead, Harry gets closer, sitting on the edge of the bed opposite to Louis. There’s something on his mind, Louis can tell by the way his brows are furrowed and his finger pinches his bottom lip. If this were before the break up, Louis would crack a joke, teasing Harry telling him to get on with it, but somehow that doesn’t seem like the appropriate response right now so he just waits. 

“I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

As the words leave Harry’s mouth, it’s like a record scratching in Louis’ head because wait a minute. What? Harry wants to make sure Louis is okay? First of all, the tone in which Harry says it makes Louis feel like he’s damn near suicidal. Harry acting concerned for Louis’ wellbeing with pity dripping from his voice is just. No. 

Harry is already winning the breakup by looking this freaking beautiful, it’s unfair. Louis isn’t going to let Harry win again by letting him take pity on him.

Louis perks up, pasting a smile on his face and rubbing his hands together to wipe the crumbs off his hands. 

“I’m great! I’ve been just you know, doing my thing, taking some time off to go out and enjoy life. It’s been amazing.” Louis’ voice is almost too high. He sounds like a Stepford wife or something.

Harry arches his eyebrows. “Oh well, that’s good then.”

Louis can’t tell if Harry’s tone is sincere or not, a part of him hopes he chokes to be honest.

“Mm-hm,” Louis hums, lips shut. “So anyway, I better go. I was supposed to go meet someone for a drink, but I’ll be back in time for dinner.” He stands, balling up the trash and throwing it in the bin by the door before making his way out averting Harry’s gaze.

“Hey Louis, will you— ” Liam begins, but Louis puts his hand up to stop him.

“Can’t right now, I’ve gotta go,” he says, taking his jacket and keys before rushing out of the apartment. 

Louis’ feet move faster than he can think and suddenly he’s in the car driving to Niall’s apartment. Deciding to forgo the elevator, he takes the steps two at a time, running out of breath by the time he reaches the third floor. Maybe he should have taken the elevator after all since he’s been nothing but a couch potato these past couple of weeks.

Panting, he knocks on Niall’s door, just now realizing he should have probably called to see if he was even home. Thankfully, Niall answers in nothing but his boxers.

“Louis? What are you doing?” Niall asks, letting him in.

Louis breezes past him to the living room, Niall following him behind. He paces back and forth with Niall standing with his hands on his hips, waiting for him to talk.

He stops in front of his friend, looking him straight in the eye, “I’m ready, Niall,” he says with determination.

Niall quirks an eyebrow, the confusion not leaving his face. “Ready for what exactly?”

Louis sighs. “I’m ready for you to be my wingman.”

Niall’s face lights up like a Christmas tree. He jumps to embrace him, patting him on the back.

“Atta boy! I knew you’d come around.”

Louis will be damned if he lets Harry Styles win this breakup.

  
  
  


Niall acts like the fate of the world has been placed in his hands, although it’s only Louis’ love life. Louis starts to have second thoughts because never in his life did he think he’d let Niall help him pull, but he tells himself that it’s okay because rebounds usually don’t turn into anything serious. 

At least they haven’t for Louis.

The first time they tried it, Louis met Niall at Benny’s. Entering the establishment felt almost unfamiliar with how long it had been. Louis ordered a drink to help ease his nerves and once Niall arrived his shoulders relaxed a bit.

Niall helped Louis talk to a beautiful blonde guy with hazel eyes named Brandon. He was sweet, and they actually had a good conversation about the graduate program he’s currently working on but at the last second Louis chickened out. They were alone at the bar, Niall was long gone by then and when Brandon brought up the prospect of getting out of there Louis froze. He froze and Brandon’s blonde hair morphed into a familiar light brown curly mane and green eyes. Louis couldn’t focus on anything else after that, so he stuttered out something about feeling sick and got the hell out of there.

The second attempt was a little better. Niall offered to do a sort of double date thing where he’d stick around with the woman he sets his eyes on. It helped, making Louis feel more confident once he got through the initial introduction with Carlos. He was handsome with dark hair and deep brown eyes. They flirted shamelessly while they kept the drinks flowing. At one point Carlos got closer to Louis, so close he could feel his warm breath against his cheek. That was a mistake because it instantly took Louis back to the many times he was in that same situation with Harry. Louis jumped back, mumbling that he had to go and got out of there as fast as he could. 

Louis gives up for a while after that, afraid that he may never be able to get over Harry. He dodges Niall’s calls and ignores his text messages. He shouldn’t be surprised to see him on the other side of the door at his apartment a week later.

“Why have you been avoiding me?” Niall asks, letting himself in without permission like he owns the place.

“I haven’t been ignoring you...I’ve just been busy,” Louis tries, but he’s a terrible liar and it earns him a scoff from Niall.

“Look, I get you’re probably still not ready to date again, okay? Let’s just hang out, no pressure to talk to anyone, just spend time with your best friend,” Niall offers.

“Liam is my best friend,” Louis says when Niall wraps an arm around his shoulders.

Niall snorts. “Please. Come on, get showered and ready. I’ll be waiting for you out here,” he smacks Louis on the butt and shoves him into the bathroom with no room for argument.

Louis doesn’t try to fight it and just goes with it. He’s been holed up in his apartment all week and he could use some fresh air. Hopefully Niall doesn’t have anything too crazy planned for him. The hot shower helps relax him and by the time he’s ready to go he’s actually kind of excited.

“So where are we going?”

“You’ll see when we get there,” is all Niall says before they’re out the door.

Louis texts Liam that he’s been kidnapped by Niall while they wait for the Uber to arrive. They pull up to the United Center where people are bustling trying to get into the venue. He knows better than to ask Niall who they’re here to see so he just follows his friend through a back entrance as he flashes a media pass he’s got around his neck and informs them Louis is with him and they’re allowed in with no problem. It beats having to be shoved around with the public.

Looking around and catching sight of the merch area, Louis discovers that Halsey is the main act of the night. Louis is a big fan, so he’s excited. The fact that Niall works in radio might mean he’ll get to interview the artist, at least he hopes that’s the case. 

Niall leads him to a green room where Louis spots a familiar face, Nick Grimshaw. He works at the same radio station as Niall and he’s in the middle of interviewing a young man with black spiky hair and huge lips.

“Who’s that?” Louis whispers to Niall as they stand aside and watch.

“That’s Halsey’s opening act, YUNGBLUD. His music is sick,” Niall informs him. Louis makes a mental note to check him out later.

Nick wraps up the interview, shaking YUNGBLUD’s hand. Niall approaches the pair to greet the artist as well.

“Well, hello there,” Nick smirks, giving Louis a very obvious once over. “It’s good to see you again. You sticking around for the show?”

Before Louis can answer that he doesn’t know, Niall confirms that they are, which only makes Nick’s smile widen even more.

He claps his hands. “That decides it then. I’ll join you guys.”

Louis smiles politely. “Sounds good.”

Niall introduces him to YUNGBLUD, or Dom as he keeps insisting they call him. They don’t chat for long because he gets called to get ready. As he’s walking away, Halsey appears with bright eyes and leans in to kiss Dom on the lips before he disappears. Halsey waves at them and Niall goes into professional mode shaking her hand and introducing himself. Louis greets her too but it doesn’t feel real. He stands aside with Nick by his side as he watches Niall interview her, making her laugh. 

“Big fan?” Nick’s voice startles Louis. When he looks over at him there’s amusement in his eyes. No doubt Louis was gaping or something more embarrassing. It makes Louis blush for some reason, maybe because he’s not used to the attention Nick is giving him, but he finds that he doesn’t really mind it.

“I am. Haven’t gotten to see her live, though.”

Nick hums. “We’ll have to make the most of tonight then,” he says, winking at Louis before focusing back on the interview. Louis isn’t sure what Nick means by that but he doesn’t worry about it.

After Niall’s interview, they take pictures with Halsey. Louis tries not to look so starstruck but fails miserably. They go to the bar backstage and get some drinks before heading to their seats. The show starts almost as soon as they get comfortable, with Dom hyping the crowd up in a way that he seems to be used to doing. Louis really digs his energy and the songs on his setlist are catchy as fuck. He ends up downloading his discography right after his set.

“You know, Dom’s actually going to be doing an exclusive performance at the station tomorrow morning on my show if you want to come down and see it,” Nick says.

“Really? That would be awesome, I’d love to see it,” Louis tells him.

“Maybe we can go grab some coffee or something afterward?” Nick raises his eyebrows, a hopeful look on his face. It’s endearing and Louis can’t bring himself to say no.

“Sounds like a date,” he says. It slips out of his mouth before he thinks about the connotation of it, but ends up shrugging it off. This is what Louis needed. He wraps his arm around Niall and plants a big slobbery kiss on his cheek.

Niall pretends to blanch but Louis knows he secretly likes it. “What was that for?”

Louis smiles, teeth and all. “Thanks for making me come out tonight. I’m having a blast.”

At that, Niall’s face turns into a smug smile. Louis rolls his eyes and continues to enjoy the rest of the show.

  
  
  
  


One evening, they’re all hanging out at Benny’s. They’ve been confined to their homes all week due to a crazy polar vortex that made the temperatures drop down to insane levels. Needless to say, they’re all happy to be out and enjoying a drink with each other.

Harry bursts into the bar with a grin so wide his dimples are out. It hurts less and less the more Louis sees his ex, sort of like exposure therapy or something. He hopes soon he’ll be cured of having any lingering feelings.

“Guess what, guess what, guess what?” Harry asks as soon as he gets to their booth.

“Take a breath Haz, here have a drink.” Niall hands him a Corona. Harry does and places the bottle on the table. “Alright, now tell us what’s got you all excited.”

“I was able to score us some tickets to see Hamilton on my birthday! Turns out one of the producers at the station is related to one of the actors and they were able to pull in a favor and it’s happening! I was thinking we can go to dinner then head over to the theater and make a night of it. What do you guys think?”

Harry’s eyes shift between all of them to get their reactions. Zayn looks just as happy as Harry and Liam is grinning from ear to ear as well. 

“That’s great! I’ve been wanting to see Hamilton for the longest time.” Niall is the first to speak.

“Me too! I just have to tell them how many tickets we need so,” Harry’s smile fades a little and his eyes meet Louis.’ His stomach sinks at what could be the reason why Harry is looking at him so worried. “Uh, Lou. Can I talk to you for a sec?”

This can’t be good. Louis and Harry have been doing okay in being civil with each other around their friends as a group, but they’ve never been alone. Not since Harry cornered Louis to check in on him and he ended up storming out mad. 

Louis sucks it up, pastes on a reluctant smile and nods. “Sure.” He slides out of the booth and lets Harry lead him to a more quiet part of the bar where they can talk privately.

Harry is biting at his lip and it only makes Louis more nervous. He wants to shout to just get on with it, but he holds it in, instead trying his best to patiently wait for Harry to just spit out whatever’s on his mind.

“About my birthday...I just wanted to let you know that I’ve been sort of seeing someone from work? It’s only been a couple of weeks but I wanted you to know because he’s also coming to Hamilton with us,” Harry says, rushing to get the words out.

Louis does his best not to show any emotion on his face, instead continuing to put on the fake smile he’s been learning to do so well around Harry.

“I’m happy for you, Haz. Thanks for thinking of me, but it’s fine,” Louis says as nonchalantly as possible. He manages to pull it off, no trace of trembling in his voice whatsoever.

“Are you sure?” Harry asks, his eyes still wary.

“Yeah, of course. In fact, I’ve been kind of seeing someone too. I was actually going to tell you that I needed two tickets because I wanted to bring him with. I know he’d love to see Hamilton too,” Louis word vomits. He has sort of been seeing Nick Grimshaw, but it’s only been coffee after his morning show that one time, and another time that he had lunch with Louis at his office. They’ve been getting to know each other and Louis finds that he likes his company quite a bit, they have a similar sense of humor and like a lot of the same things, but it hasn’t turned into anything more. Louis hasn’t decided yet if he wants to take it further, even though he knows Nick is open and willing.

Harry’s eyes go dark for a split second and it gives Louis a sick sort of satisfaction that he got a reaction, but it’s gone as soon as it appeared and instead his lips curve into a tight lipped smile.

“Well, in that case, I’m happy for you too, Louis. I can’t wait to meet them.”

Louis would say the same but he doesn’t want to lie again, instead he just nods and smiles before excusing himself back to their booth. He suddenly wishes he could have kept his mouth shut and just maybe decided not to go to the show altogether. He knows that’s basically impossible, but he’d be willing to make himself sick just to try to get out of it. Either way, it’s too late now and Louis has to message Nick to ask him out on a date. He hopes it doesn’t end up blowing up in his face.


	10. Chapter 10

**February 2020**

Louis dreads the days leading up to Harry’s birthday. Not only because Harry is his ex-boyfriend and events like birthdays and anniversaries always bring a sort of nostalgic feeling, his mind constantly wandering to memories of them together during happier times. But the closer the date gets, the higher Harry’s voice seems to get and he’s practically bouncing with so much energy every time Louis sees him at Benny’s. It’s cute how excited he is, but Louis isn’t supposed to notice how cute Harry is anymore.

It took Louis a couple of days to work up the courage to invite Nick to come, but he was surprisingly cool about it. Not only did he accept, he happened to remember that Harry is Louis’ ex, reminding him that he was the DJ at his last birthday and was bummed that he was taken at the time. Blushing, Louis just giggled nervously and changed the subject to something else. 

Nick has been keeping him plenty distracted, texting and calling asking if he should dress up or what Louis is planning to wear so they don’t outshine the other. Louis is grateful for it, and it helps ease his nerves about the night ahead of them. 

Saturday arrives, the morning seeming brighter than usual. When Louis manages to get himself out of bed, he sees the few inches of snow that fell overnight. He groans before heading over to the kitchen to turn on the coffee pot, feeling he is going to need an extra strong cup today.

Louis hears some noise, but is too tired to look up and see where it’s coming from. He startles when he hears Zayn’s voice.

“Good morning,” Zayn murmurs, rubbing his eyes. His hair is in disarray and his shirt is crooked sliding off his shoulder.

Louis hums in acknowledgment, continuing to stare at the coffee pot and willing it to produce the coffee he’s been waiting for. When it finally does, he punches the air, finally looking at Zayn who’s got a quirked eyebrow like Louis has grown a third head.

“What?”

Zayn shakes his head. “Nothing.”

Louis pours them both a mug of steaming hot coffee and they sit on the sofa while he puts on whatever’s on Netflix.

“You ready for tonight?” Zayn asks. His voice is laced with concern and Louis wishes his friends will stop worrying about him.

Louis takes a hefty gulp of his beverage, letting it burn his tongue. He shrugs. “Hamilton is awesome, so of course I’m ready.”

Zayn glares at him, letting Louis know he’s not going to let him get away with deflecting.

“That’s not what I meant and you know it.”

He remains silent, but Zayn’s stare doesn’t waver and he knows he’s not going to be let off the hook. Ever since the breakup, he’s been keeping most of the emotions and feelings he’s been going through to himself. A lot of it had to do with the fact that Zayn and Liam are newlyweds and Louis doesn’t want to ruin their wedded bliss with his relationship problems. 

Louis releases a deep sigh. “I’ll be fine, Zee. It’s not like it will just be me, Harry and his date. I’m bringing Nick too.”

Zayn rolls his eyes but doesn’t say anything else, which is a relief. Liam wakes up not long after and makes breakfast for everyone. Thankfully no one else brings up anything about Louis’ feelings about tonight. He hopes it remains that way. 

  
  


Nick and Louis agree to meet at Benny’s about an hour before they’re to meet the rest of the group. Louis figures having a couple of drinks might help loosen him up and prepare him for the evening ahead. When he walks into the bar, he’s taken aback by how gorgeous Nick looks wearing a dark grey suit with a light grey button up shirt.

“Hey,” Louis breathes, still taking in the handsome man before him. Nick blushes at Louis’ gaze standing up to embrace him in a hug. Louis is trying not to compare everything about Nick to Harry, he really is, but he can’t help thinking about how Nick is a few inches taller than Harry as he wraps him in his arms. It’s kind of nice, actually.

“Hey yourself. You look amazing,” Nick says. Louis self consciously looks down at his own outfit. He went for black skinny jeans, a light grey jacket and black top. It almost seems like they’re matching and Louis doesn’t mind one bit. It’s like they planned it, even though they definitely didn’t.

“Thanks, you’re not looking so bad either,” he winks, catching a hint of blush spreading on Nick’s cheeks.

Louis gets them a round of drinks before sitting back in the booth. They catch up for a bit since they haven’t seen each other since Monday when they had lunch again. It doesn’t take much effort to get them lost in a conversation and that’s one of his favorite things about Nick, how easy everything seems with him. Louis isn’t sure what that means and he doesn’t think too hard about it. Instead, he just goes with the flow, deciding to see where it takes them. 

Nothing good comes from overthinking.

He gets so lost in the conversation and Nick, that he doesn’t notice when it’s already time to meet up with the rest of the group. It isn’t until he sees Harry approaching the table that he realizes it’s time for everyone to get together and head over to the restaurant Harry chose for them to have dinner at before the show.

Harry looks good like he always does, wearing a metallic red suit with black flowers. He’s the birthday boy after all, so he deserves to go all out for his big day. Louis tries not to ogle at him because Harry’s no longer his to ogle, plus he wants to be respectful of Nick.

“Hello,” Harry greets them. He’s alone— at least Louis doesn’t see anyone by him that might look like they’re with him— and it’s awkward. Louis sees the way Harry’s eyes shift between him and Nick and how his smile is tight and strained. He chooses to ignore it and instead smile in return and greet his ex.

“Hi, Harry. This is Nick, my date,” Louis says, gesturing to Nick. He probably didn’t need to emphasize the date part, but it just came out.

Harry’s gaze falls on Nick and he reaches a hand out to him. “Hi Nick, it’s nice to meet you. A fan of Hamilton?” His voice sounds a bit off, but Louis isn’t going to waste time trying to decipher it. Harry isn’t his to try and figure out anymore anyway.

Nick nods. “Are you kidding? I love Hamilton! I’ve caught it a couple of times. Actually, once when Lin Manuel Miranda was still the lead on Broadway.”

At that, Harry’s smile fades a little, but he tries to recover. “That’s great. You must have had so much fun.”

Nick glances at Louis before meeting Harry again. “I did, I did. I’m sure I’ll have fun tonight too,” he says, sending a wink in Louis’ direction, making him chuckle nervously. 

Harry clears his throat as if to remind them of his presence. “Well, good. I’m gonna go grab a drink for me and my date. He should be here any minute.” He lifts his wrist to check the time on his watch before excusing himself to the bar. Louis feels like he can finally breathe again.

Liam and Zayn arrive next, followed by Niall and his date, and they all join Louis and Nick in the booth. Even though they’ve all met and know Nick, he introduces them anyway. They chat for a bit before Harry returns with his arm looped through another guy’s.

“This is Ryan, one of the producers at Channel 7. Ryan these are my friends.” Ryan waves at everyone. He doesn’t really seem like Harry’s type if Louis is honest, but at this point what does he know.

Ryan is cute, he’ll admit, but with his blonde shaggy hair and clear blue eyes he looks like he belongs in California somewhere with a surfboard and one of those tacky shell necklaces.

“So, Ryan, are you originally from Chicago?” Zayn asks.

“I’m from San Diego originally and then I moved up to L.A. to attend UCLA. I accepted an internship here in Chicago after I graduated and haven’t left since,” he explains. His voice is so annoying, like he means to say “dude” at the end of every sentence but is holding back.

“Well, we should get going, our reservation is waiting,” Harry reminds the group.

They take separate Ubers to the restaurant downtown. It’s a nice place, one Louis has never been to but has wanted to try. As soon as Harry talks to the hostess, they’re being led to their table. Louis makes sure he and Nick are sat by Zayn and Liam, leaving Niall and his date, Esmeralda, to sit next to Harry and Ryan.

With the way their table is set up, it’s difficult for everyone to have a conversation over dinner together. Instead, Nick gets caught up in a conversation with Zayn about some new hip hop artist they’re both currently obsessed with while Liam and Louis listen intently. On the other side, Niall is gesturing wildly, making Ryan and Esmeralda laugh about something he’s saying. Louis keeps catching Harry looking in their direction and finds it interesting that he’s paying more attention to their side of the table rather than his own date. 

Drinks are ordered and Harry asks for a bottle of champagne before they order their entrees. Louis has some of the best pasta primavera he’s had and downs it with a few glasses of red wine. His friends seem to be in love with Nick and Harry keeps gesturing toward Ryan and giggling about something as he sips on wine. Louis thinks he sees him at one point drinking straight from the bottle, but he’s not sure because Harry was already placing it back on the table by the time he looked.

He’s distracted by Liam’s laughter while Nick tells a story about how he called an artist the wrong name on live radio. Louis joins in because just picturing Camila Cabello’s face when Nick accidentally called her Carla instead cracks him up. Louis doesn’t think about Harry or Ryan for the rest of the night, instead choosing to focus on his date and his friends, making the most of the moment with them. 

They walk a couple of blocks down from the restaurant to the CIBC Theatre where people are already lined up to be admitted inside. Louis instinctively places his arm through Nick’s, snuggling in his coat when a cold breeze passes through them. Thankfully the line moves fast and before they know it they’ve found their seats, which are surprisingly close to the stage. 

“Holy shit,” Louis breathes, taking in the empty stage while taking off his coat. “I wasn’t expecting to be so close.”

Nick is smiling at him in fond amusement. “If this is how you’re going to be, I’ll probably be watching you more than the performance,” he teases.

Louis attempts to slap him playfully but he’s blushing so much that he needs to look away from Nick. He pretends to look around, taking in the audience. In the process, his eyes fall on Harry, who’s looking right at him. Instead of looking away when he’s caught, Harry’s gaze only intensifies and Louis ends up being the one that breaks the eye contact. 

The show is even more amazing than Louis imagined it would be and he’s lost in the entire thing. During the intermission, Nick taps him on the arm to get his attention. 

“So I just got a text from my boss wanting someone to cover an event at Haze tonight. Would you like to join me?”

Louis shrugs. “Sure. Sounds like fun,” he says.

“I only need to be there for like an hour then we can do whatever we want. But we get VIP and bottle service, so there’s that.”

“Can’t say no to free booze.”

After the show, they leave the theatre as a group.

“How about we head to Benny’s for a night cap?” Harry suggests, looking to see everyone’s reaction. The others nod in agreement except for Louis and Nick. “Lou?” 

“Actually, Nick and I have somewhere else to be, but have one on us, alright? Happy Birthday, Haz,” Louis says.

Harry’s smile fades, but he nods in acknowledgment. Louis and Nick bid the group farewell and they catch a cab to take them to the nightclub. He does his best to erase the disappointed look on Harry’s face as they drive away.

  
  
  


Louis wakes up the next morning wrapped up in warmth and with a sore ass. He stretches his arms and legs, letting out a yawn, turning over to catch sight of Nick’s bare back. Memories of the night before flash in his mind. They’d ended the night at Haze, drinks flowing and music pumping. When Nick had finished his work obligation, they ended up dancing the night away, getting closer and closer to each other the later it got. 

He hadn’t felt this comfortable and carefree since Harry and it felt great to just let loose. It turned into a hot makeout session in the middle of the dancefloor that moved from the taxi to Louis’ bedroom. That led to Nick in Louis’ bed fucking him into the mattress.

There was a time when Louis didn’t think he’d ever be able to move on from Harry. He thought Harry was the love of his life, his forever. Never did he think he’d be sleeping with a hot radio host who knows what he’s doing in bed. It’s not something Louis wants to think about. But lying here, watching Nick’s chest rise and fall as he continues to sleep soundly, he can’t help but wonder how things will turn out with Nick.

Nick is funny, charming as hell, and handsome. He’s a few years older, which Louis likes. He’s established, a grown-up. He makes Louis feel wanted and sexy, and if Louis’ honest, he needs that right now. Nick took his time taking Louis apart last night, worshipping every part of his body, marvelling at every inch of skin. It made Louis shiver with desire for the man. In that moment, Louis became more open to seeing where things go with Nick.

“I can feel you staring,” Nick’s sleep rough voice breaks Louis from his thoughts. He rolls over to face Louis with a soft smile on his face. His hair is sticking out, making him look adorable. 

“You can’t really blame me, can you?” Louis replies. That makes Nick’s cheeks flush and he reaches over to caress the skin on Louis’ bicep.

“I guess I can’t.” They stare at each other for a few minutes before Nick breaks the silence again. “I had an amazing time last night.”

Now it’s Louis’ turn to blush, “Yeah?” Nick nods. “Me too,” he admits.

Before Louis can think of where to go from here, his stomach growls. They giggle and it breaks the weird tension that had settled between them. 

“How do you feel about frozen waffles?” Louis quirks his eyebrow in question at Nick.

Nick cutely pretends to think hard about before smiling. “I guess I could use the carbs after that workout last night. And I love waffles.”

Louis rolls his eyes as he climbs out of bed and grabs a clean pair of boxer briefs before heading to the kitchen to check the freezer, hoping they do have waffles because if not, he’ll have to resort to preparing cereal instead. Thankfully they’re fully stocked and Louis pops a couple of them in the toaster and grabs the Nutella from the pantry. He doesn’t bother asking Nick if he likes Nutella, because these days everyone seems to love the stuff. When he’s done, he brings the food along with some coffee in a tray back to his bedroom. He finds Nick still in bed, scrolling through his phone.

When Nick notices Louis, his face lights up and he sets his phone aside, letting Louis place the tray on the bed between them.

“Hope you like Nutella,” Louis announces, giving Nick his plate.

“Mm, I shouldn’t but I love Nutella, thank you.”

Nick pushes the tray aside so they can settle in next to each other, propped up by pillows by the headboard as they eat, chatting between bites about nothing in particular. Louis doesn’t miss the occasional meaningful glance Nick throws in his direction, but he ignores them for now. When they finish eating, though, he knows he can’t avoid The Talk any longer.

“So I know we already said this, but I really did have a good time last night, Louis,” Nick starts, shaking his head when Louis smirks. “No, not just the sex, which was amazing by the way. I just really like being with you, I had fun the whole night, when it was just us and when we were with your friends. I’d really like to keep seeing you, but I kind of need to know what you’re thinking?”

Louis sighs. “I’m thinking I’d like to keep seeing you too, but maybe we can take it slow? I know we didn’t exactly take it slow last night, but...”

They both laugh, and Nick leans over to give him a quick kiss. “As slow as you need,” Nick promises. “You’re worth it.”

“We’ll just take it day by day and see where it goes from there,” Louis says and Nick hums in agreement. Then they roll around in bed one more time before Nick has to leave.

After that, Nick is around more often. They see each other nearly every weekend, whether it’s hanging out with the group at Benny’s or spending the evening alone in either apartment. The guys continue warming up to Nick, genuinely enjoying his company. The only one Louis hasn’t seen him interact with has been Harry, but he’s not too worried about it, at least not yet.

“So, what’s the deal with you and Harry?”

Louis and Nick are on his couch eating popcorn and binge watching “Killing Eve,” so his question feels like it’s coming out of nowhere. They haven’t been with the group since last weekend, so it makes Louis curious how long Nick’s been thinking about this.

“What do you mean?” Louis isn’t trying to play dumb, he just wants to understand what specifically Nick wants to know. He’s planning on being honest, but he’s also not going to divulge any information that wasn’t asked for.

Nick pauses the show and sits up straight to get a better look at him.

“Look, I know you and Harry have a history. When I first met you, you guys were dating, so I know he’s your ex. I guess I just want to know whether it was an amicable breakup or you guys hate each other’s guts and just pretend to be civil in front of your friends.”

Louis nods. “You’re right. Harry and I were in a relationship for nearly a year. However, it turned out we both wanted different things. I might as well tell you now before things go any further between us,” he tells him. “I want to get married and have children someday. That’s not something Harry wanted, so we decided it was best to part ways. It was difficult, but in the end I think it was the right decision.”

Nick remains silent, taking in Louis’ words. He meets his eyes and smiles warmly. 

“I came from a big family. I’ve got lots of siblings that I’m really close to and I picture myself having something like that with my future husband,” Louis continues. 

Louis gazes at Nick and finds him already staring at him with fond eyes. He sits up straight and angles his body toward Louis.

“Have I told you about my niece Liv?”

Louis shakes his head.

“My older sister came home to have her when I was 11 and we’ve always been really close. She’s my munchkin, which I still call her now even though she’s fresh out of college. I just remember holding her in my arms and meeting her for the first time, thinking I want to have my own someday,” Nick says in a soft voice as he recalls at the memories. He turns to meet Louis’ eyes, “So for the record, I definitely want kids and a husband someday too. Might as well throw that out there now as well.”

Louis smiles. “Noted.”

  
  
  
  


Louis arrives home one evening and his stomach instantly growls when the scent of grilled chicken hits his nostrils. He finds Liam in the kitchen with his “I cook as good as I look” apron Zayn got him that he wears on special occasions. His eyebrows furrow as he tries to go over in his mind anything he might have forgotten. It’s not anyone’s birthday or anniversary and no one’s gotten promoted recently that he knows of. Unless maybe Liam is in the mood to celebrate winning a case he’s been working on?

“Um, Li?” Louis calls out after putting away his keys and taking off his coat.

Liam looks up, semi startled at Louis’ arrival. His eyes shift a bit until he forces a smile on his face. Something’s definitely up.

“Oh hey, Louis! How was work?” His voice is high, like the time Louis walked in on him jacking off in college. 

“It was alright. Simon’s terrible, but it’s nothing new. Where’s your husband?”

Liam wipes his hands on the apron. “He went to the shop across the street to get some wine. Should be here shortly.”

“Oh alright. Well, I’m gonna go get out of these work clothes.”

“Will you join us for dinner?” Liam asks, sounding nervous, like Louis might actually deny the invitation.

“Of course. I’ll be out in a few.” He changes into his favorite sweats and replies to Nick’s text. They have plans to see Night Riots this weekend and Louis has been looking forward to it all week, it’s what’s been getting him through the day at work. 

When Louis leaves his room, Zayn and Liam are setting up their coffee table. Again, it all feels so formal and there are only three plates set so no one else is coming over. He decides to stop overthinking and just appreciate the nice dinner his roommates are preparing for him. It’s been a while since they’ve hung out like this, each of them so busy that they’ve only seen each other in passing.

“All of this looks great, thanks,” Louis says when he sits on the couch, going for the glass of wine in front of him and taking a hefty sip. It’s fruity and instantly works to melt away some of the stress from his day. 

They make small conversation with Louis inquiring to Zayn and Liam about their lives and how work has been going for them. He notices the way the couple keeps glancing at each other, and the more it happens the more uneasy his stomach becomes.

“Want to put something on Netflix?” Louis asks, wanting to have something playing in the background to help distract the weird feeling.

“Actually, we’d like to talk to you about something,” Liam announces, looking over at Zayn who nods in encouragement.

Louis sets his fork down. As delicious as that chicken was, his belly is already starting to churn. He swallows hard. “Sure, what’s up?” 

Liam clears his throat. “So we just want to start by saying how much we’ve loved living with you. You’ve been the best roommate we’ve ever had.”

Realization dawns on Louis and he nods along, knowing exactly where his best friends are going with this. 

“Zayn and I decided it would be best to start the process of purchasing a home. We’re not moving right away since it can take months, but we still want you to be the first person to know.” 

Louis smiles. Although he’s absolutely gutted that his friends are moving out, he’s so happy that they’re starting this new chapter in their life. It’s going to suck not having them around, but he knows they’ll still see each other all the time.

“Thanks for telling me. I’m ecstatic for you guys,” he tells them. Liam visibly relaxes and it makes Louis chuckle because his friend is always stressing about the smallest things. He’s going to miss the shit out of him.

They all hug it out and the rest of their dinner is a lot more relaxing now that it no longer feels like there’s a sort of strange tension between them all. 

“Have you decided if you want to stay in the city or move out to the suburbs?” Louis asks.

Zayn shrugs. “We haven’t decided. I think we’re going to look for houses everywhere and go for the house we love most, no matter where it ends up.”

They end the rest of their night cuddled together on the couch having ice cream for dessert and watching Friends reruns. It reminds Louis of when they first moved in after college. All they had was the couch they’re sitting on and a much older version television. They’d huddle together on the couch, eating ramen noodles for dinner and trying to get signal on the TV to catch the latest episode of Grey’s Anatomy. 

Now they’re all grown up and Liam and Zayn have started their own little family. A part of him is insanely jealous, but mostly he’s just happy. He lays his head on Liam’s shoulder, closing his eyes and taking in the moment before focusing his attention back to the show.

That weekend, the group meets at Benny’s before Louis is set to meet with Nick for the concert. Liam and Zayn tell the rest of the guys the news and Harry makes them all toast with shots of tequila. 

“As much as you two sicken me with your love, I’m happy for you,” Niall tells them. “I better get my own room wherever you end up.”

Liam and Zayn roll their eyes but humor Niall anyway.


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry life is still crazy and I forgot I haven't updated. Please don't hate me. Hope you enjoy this new chapter :)
> 
> Also just a reminder that if you don't like Nick you probably shouldn't read the next couple of chapters. Also remember it's endgame Larry ;)

**April 2020**

Zayn and Liam don’t end up finding what they call their “dream home” until mid-spring. It takes about a month or so for them to get all the inspections and draw up the paperwork before they’re given the keys to their new home. The place isn’t far, a twenty-minute drive to a suburb in La Grange just outside the city.

In the midst of witnessing his best friends getting ready to start a new chapter in a new house, Louis has been continuing to date Nick. They’ve been taking it slow, aside from the sex, getting to know each other. In some ways, he and Nick are just alike, they’re both quick witted and enjoy teasing each other. But other ways, they’re complete opposites, like how Nick is very neat and tidy and Louis… is not. They’re getting used to each other, and Louis’ feelings for Nick are steadily growing stronger. Louis tries not to stress about the future, knowing they don’t have an expiration date the way he and Harry did, and just lets their relationship take its course. 

Nick has become an adopted part of the group and Louis won’t let himself think about how Harry’s part of the group because of their previous relationship too. Harry’s been dating Ryan from what Louis has noticed. He’s joined their group on a few other gatherings since Harry’s birthday and the more he gets to know him, the less Louis likes him, but he keeps those thoughts to himself.

“I’m going to take advantage of everyone’s presence here right now to recruit you all to help us move our shit into the new house,” Zayn announces one night while they’re in their booth at Benny’s celebrating the closing Liam and Zayn did earlier that day.

Niall, Louis, and Harry groan in unison, but Ryan and Nick both seem excited at the prospect of helping with the move.

“You know they already like you. You don’t have to kiss their ass by agreeing to help to get in their good graces,” Louis tells Nick.

Nick shrugs, unbothered. “At this point, I’m sure Zayn likes me more than you, but that’s not why I want to help. I love packing and moving and shit. I find it relaxing for some reason.”

Zayn puts his arm around Nick. “It’s official, Louis you’re out and Nick is in.”

Louis buries his face in his hands. “Oh God. You’re both insufferable.”

Nick and Zayn just laugh and continue drinking like Louis didn’t say anything. 

He sees Nick around the apartment more often for that very reason. When Louis comes home from work, Nick is helping Liam and Zayn with packing and labeling. He’s grateful for it because Louis absolutely hates packing and moving and if having Nick here to do it keeps him out of having to help, he’s more than okay with that. 

When moving day arrives is when Louis’ free pass has expired. He and the rest of the guys all work together to get their things loaded in the truck with minimal incident. For the most part, they’re successful, until Harry nearly brains himself trying to carry a nightstand down three flights of stairs. Louis is there to prevent that from happening, able to jump in on time to keep him from getting hurt.

“Thanks,” Harry says, panting after setting the nightstand in the truck. He wipes the sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand. Harry’s hair has been getting longer. Louis doesn’t think he’s cut it since they’ve met. He’s got a headscarf holding it back, but it doesn’t keep his curls from sticking out in all sorts of directions. 

“Harry, are you okay? I saw you up there, thankfully Louis was able to help you on time,” Nick’s voice makes Louis jump. Like he was doing something wrong, but he really wasn’t.

Harry seems just as startled by Nick, but he recovers right away. He smiles tightly.

“I’m fine. Thanks to Louis.” Harry stares at Louis and it’s too intense for him so he looks away after a few seconds.

Nick places the box he brought down into the truck and sidles up next to Louis, placing an arm around him and kissing his head. Louis leans into the touch.

“Where’s Ryan? I thought he was going to join us today?” Nick asks.

Harry’s smile fades and he looks down at his feet and scratches the back of his head.

“Oh um yeah, he’s not going to be around anymore. We’re no longer together,” Harry explains.

“Sorry to hear that, Haz,” Louis chimes in, not really sorry but feeling the need to say something.

Harry’s lips curve up a little. He shrugs. “It’s alright. It was never meant to be anything serious anyway.” With that, he makes his way back up the stairs leaving Nick and Louis by the truck.

Louis can’t help the way he stares after him. It seems that there’s something more bothering him than he’s letting on and as his friend Louis wants to go after him and ask. However, not only is Nick here, but he and Harry haven’t been very close friends since their breakup. It would look odd if Louis came out of nowhere to try and see after him, wouldn’t it?

“Let’s go keep helping Liam and Zayn. When I came down here, Zayn was about to tear Liam a new one when he discovered he hadn’t wrapped his art pieces in bubble wrap,” Nick cringes. 

“Oh shit,” Louis mutters, rushing up the steps hoping his best friend is still alive when he gets there.

Thankfully Liam is still in one piece and they all continue working. Zayn is surprisingly strict on what goes where, and it’s funny to watch. He’s like Monica Geller in Friends and Louis feels for Liam and what's in store for them at their new place. 

When they finish loading everything, Liam drives the truck and the rest follow in a car right behind him. They don’t stop until they’re done, all of them wanting to finish at a decent time.

All the boxes are labeled for the appropriate rooms so it makes it a lot easier than having to ask either Liam or Zayn where things go. This isn’t Louis’ first time seeing the house, but it is the first time he sees it empty. It’s a lot bigger than he remembered and it’s perfect for his friends to start a family. 

“I call dibs on the room by the bathroom,” Niall calls as they continue moving stuff inside. 

“That’s fine, I wanted the room down in the basement anyway,” Louis says.

“You guys know you’re not moving in with us, right?” Liam tells them.

“We know, but we are going to have sleepovers, aren’t we?” Harry asks.

“What are we, in high school?” Zayn pipes up. “You’re all welcome to stay the night when you need to,” he relents. 

Niall and Louis high five each other and Nick rolls his eyes and calls them children.

Louis wraps his arms around Nick’s waist and pulls him in. “Don’t be jealous, babe. You’re welcome to sleep over too.” He places a kiss on his lips. 

“Not if you’re going to be doing all of that,” Liam calls out.

Louis looks over his shoulder. “Do I have to bring up how many times I’ve had to put up with your loud fucking while I tried to sleep? Don’t think I won’t get my revenge.”

“Oh, you’ve got your revenge plenty of times already, Louis,” Zayn says.

Now it’s Louis’ turn to roll his eyes. He stares at Nick and smirks, “Party poopers.”

Nick pulls him in for another kiss before they break apart and resume helping to unload the truck.

  
  


When they’re done getting everything out of the truck they take a much-needed break. Liam and Zayn don’t have a couch yet so they all sit on the floor while they wait for the pizza to arrive.

“Sorry we don’t have much entertainment for you guys. The internet and cable people won’t arrive until tomorrow and so will the rest of our furniture,” Liam apologizes. 

“Don’t worry about it, mate. This reminds me of when I first moved over here, it’s nice,” Harry says.

“Yeah, remember when we first moved into the city after college how all we had was that old bean bag chair that smelled like weed?” Louis asks grinning at the memory.

Liam laughs, “And then later we got those used mattresses from your mom that the twins didn’t need anymore because she got them new ones?”

“Oh God, yeah. They had like pee stains on it and shit, ugh.” They laugh as they remember where they started. It makes Louis smile thinking about how far they’ve all come

The pizza arrives and they continue talking, mostly reminiscing about funny moments that happened at the old apartment. They drink beer and stuff their faces with food, laughing so hard at one point Niall spits beer out of his mouth and nose. Louis’ stomach cramps up in pain but he can’t stop laughing either. 

It’s almost midnight when one of them checks the time. Louis doesn’t want to leave, wants to avoid the empty apartment that awaits him. It’s not really empty, but it won’t feel the same without his friends’ things. Nick is spending the night, which will serve as a good temporary distraction.

When he and Nick bid everyone goodnight, he catches Harry staring at him in that same intense way he was earlier today. This time he doesn’t avert his gaze and it’s Harry who breaks first.

“Goodnight, Lou,” Harry says, reaching to give him a hug. It’s a bit stiff because Louis doesn’t expect it, but he warms up to it after a moment, wrapping his arms around Harry.

“Night, Haz.”

He turns to grab Nick’s hand and wave at his friends one last time. Harry’s eyes are the last thing he sees before he walks away.

  
  


Liam and Zayn throw a housewarming slash Fourth of July barbecue a couple of weeks after they’re done settling in and everything is in order. Nick is unable to attend due to a work thing but promises to meet Louis at the apartment after. 

Louis is still trying to adjust to being the only tenant in the apartment. The other day, he found himself calling for Liam when he was in the bathroom and had forgotten his razor in his bedroom. He had to hop out of the shower with shampoo still in his hair to get it, leaving a trail of wetness on the hardwood floor. Thankfully he no longer has roommates to nag at him about it. 

Nick has been spending the night more often now that it’s just him. It’s very domestic and gives Louis an idea of what it might be like if things with Nick ever get to that point in their relationship. It’s just nice, having a little routine with someone in the mornings, Louis makes coffee and Nick cooks for him even when he’s currently trying some weird diet. The shower sex is pretty nice too. 

A knock on his door brings him back to reality. Louis takes one last look in the mirror, content with his appearance. Harry is on the other side of the door. He’d asked Louis for a ride, which he was happy to do for him.

They exchange greetings. Harry has a gift bag in his hands and he smiles politely at Louis.

“Make yourself comfortable. I’m almost ready, just need to get my shoes on and get the gift,” Louis says over his shoulder as he goes into his room to get his favorite pair of Vans.

It’s strange to have Harry here without Liam or Zayn around. Since the breakup, they haven’t been alone in the apartment and just thinking about it now makes Louis more nervous for some reason. He runs his hands through his hair again and grabs hold of the gift he’d wrapped a few moments ago on his bed. 

Harry is sitting on the couch staring at the blank TV. When he hears Louis, he jumps out of his seat, seeming eager to get going. He sees the gift in Louis’ hand.

“What did you get them?”

Louis looks at the box in his hands. It’s big enough he needs both arms to carry it. “A pot set and a welcome mat that says ‘mother effing home owners.’”

Harry laughs. “Now my gift seems shit next to yours.”

“Why? What did you get them?”

“A bottle of wine and a personalized corkscrew,” Harry says.

Louis walks over to the door, hip checking Harry along the way. “Don’t worry about it, Haz. They’re going to love whatever we give them. It’s one less thing they’ll have to buy.”

“I guess.”

The drive over isn’t as awkward as Louis expected, partly due to the fact that the music was up high. Louis will never admit if he did that on purpose or not. When they arrive, Niall and other friends and family are already there.

“It’s about time you guys showed up,” Niall says in lieu of a greeting.

“Fuck off,” Louis retorts. 

They greet their friends and hand the gifts over before being handed a Corona. 

“Cheers,” Louis says, clinking to Harry’s bottle.

“Cheers,” Harry dimples before taking a swig of his bottle. 

It’s not long before the food is ready and a line is set up to begin serving. Liam went all out with his grilling skills, cooking up every kind of meat he can think of. There are just as many sides, so many there isn’t enough room on Louis’ plate. He gets what he can before joining his friends at one of the tables. 

The weather is perfect for this time of year and the fireworks can already be heard in the distance. In Louis’ neighborhood, the fourth of July celebrations began weeks ago with blasts going on all hours of the night. 

Louis ends up spending most of his evening close to Harry. It’s strange because they haven’t hung out in a non-romantic way. It’s not bad, in fact Louis finds it very pleasant. They exchange witty jokes and talk about mundane things, but it’s nice. It feels like the beginning of a real friendship between them, which Louis appreciates. 

A park nearby does a firework show that they’re able to see from the yard. Louis sits back in his lawn chair, sipping on his beer and taking everything in. He never expected to be at this place in his life when the new year began, but now he finds himself feeling content where things are in his love life and with his friends. Louis misses Nick and wishes he were here to snuggle with during the fireworks show, but he settles on sending him a text message saying “I miss you” with a picture of the lit-up sky. Nick returns a kissy face emoji, saying he misses him too and he’ll see him soon. That makes Louis smile as he puts his phone away to enjoy the rest of the show.

On the way back home that night, things are a lot quieter between Harry and Louis. The radio is off, and Harry looks pensive. Part of Louis wants to ask what’s on his mind, but he’s still unsure what would be considered crossing a line with his ex so he decides to play it safe and not say anything at all. 

When they arrive at Harry’s apartment, it takes him a minute to move before he looks over at Louis.

“I had fun tonight, Louis. It felt sort of like old times,” Harry says, not going into what he means by that. Before Louis can even ask him to explain, he’s already getting out of the car. “Goodnight.”

When Harry slams the door shut, it makes Louis jump, not realizing he’d zoned out. He lets out a sigh and turns the gear into drive, trying not to think too hard about what Harry said. Instead, he focuses on his boyfriend and the things he’s going to do to him when he gets to his apartment. Quickly, Harry is forgotten, replaced by thoughts of Nick.

  
  


Louis has been bombarded at work, often not getting off until the late evening every night. There’s a new client, a big name bank that wants to work with Simon’s firm but they’ve been unhappy with every design Simon has pitched to them. They’ve demanded to meet with Simon’s entire team one final time before they completely pull out of the deal and find someone else.

Of course, this has led to Simon making everyone’s life at the office completely miserable, so he’s called everyone to scramble and come up with ideas. At this point, he’s desperate and open to anything just to keep that client from leaving. 

At this opportunity, Louis has invested as much of his time as he’s been able to come up with his own design. He hasn’t shown anyone yet, still unsure if he wants to use it. Simon is always putting down his work so he knows he likely won’t get picked, but either way, he puts his entire heart into this building design. It takes a couple of shitty drafts before he’s finally happy with one that has some potential so he spends time on all the details down to the trees that surround the building.

Louis doesn’t show anyone, not even his assistant. No one even knows he’s been working on something and he’d like to keep it that way in case he doesn’t like the final result. When the time for the meeting comes, Louis struggles with what to do, ultimately deciding not to use it. He’s sure Simon is going to be bombarded with different suggestions and Louis doesn’t need to be put down another time.

Simon ends up picking his favorite during their meeting. The design is so plain and dull, Louis knows for a fact the client’s going to pull out of the deal. He doesn’t understand why Simon looks like he’s found the greatest design of his career, but it’s just as well that Louis didn’t think to bring his draft after all. 

On Friday, Louis arrives at the office about an hour early to prepare for the meeting with the bank. He looks over his design a final time but quickly rolls it back up feeling silly for even thinking of submitting it as a suggestion. A part of him thinks maybe Simon is right and his style just doesn’t fit with current architecture. 

He’s the first one to get to the conference room, which he likes because he gets to choose his favorite spot that is closest to the door. Louis has a feeling the meeting isn’t going to go very well and he’d like an escape plan in case things go to shit. People begin filing in about ten minutes to and before they know it, it’s being announced that the client has arrived.

Simon puts on his fakest smile, which makes Louis want to slap it right off his face, but he doesn’t. He watches as he kisses the clients’ asses and leads them into the conference room to have a seat. The meeting officially begins and the room is so quiet and tense, it’s already making Louis uneasy. The clients have scowls on their faces, not buying Simon’s pleasantries for one second, making them one of Louis’ favorite people. 

“So we’ve got a design I think you’ll be much happier with,” Simon tells them. He gestures for his assistant to place the poster board that contains said design on the display. She does as she’s told and the clients don’t have any kind of reaction, not even a single tick on their face.

They don’t say anything and Simon looks between them and the image, seeming unsure of what he should say or do. He clears his throat.

“So what do you think?” he asks. 

Louis finds that question rather insulting because it’s clear by their faces that they hate it.

One of them men visibly sighs. “I thought we’d discussed what we were looking for. We tried giving you multiple opportunities to show us what you can do, but we were obviously wrong about your abilities,” he says. He looks over at his colleagues who nod along.

Louis feels like getting his popcorn and watching the scene before him. Yeah, this isn’t good for his firm, but Simon deserves to be told off and he’s glad someone is finally doing it.

Simon looks shocked which only makes Louis want to burst out laughing even more.

“I’m sorry, gentlemen. I’m sure we can work on something you’ll be happy with,” Simon tries even though he knows this was his last chance.

The clients stand up. “I think we’ve given you plenty of time for that. Unless there’s something else you can show us right now, we’re not interested.”

Silence fills the conference room again, and Simon looks around to everyone else, his eyes pleading for someone, anyone to put him out of his misery. Louis’ heart nearly beats outside his chest when he raises his hand without thinking.

“I have something,” he announces.

Simon’s eyes go wide as if demanding of Louis what he’s doing, but Louis ignores it and rushes out of the conference room and into his office, already knowing where the design he’d hidden is located. He runs back to the conference room and gathers his bearings right outside the door before going back in.

Louis unrolls the paper, revealing what he’s been working on for so many hours in the past week. Others in the room gather around them to have a look. No one says anything, and for a moment Louis wants the floor to swallow him up thinking the client hates it more than the others Simon has shown them. That’s until one of the clients smiles and looks over at his colleague who is mirroring the same reaction.

“This is brilliant. You did this?”

Louis nods, “Yes, sir.”

The client glances at Simon and points to Louis’ design, “You see, this is exactly what we’re looking for. You can thank your lucky stars you have someone on your team who’s competent enough to know how to follow instructions. What’s your name?” He directs his question to Louis.

“Lou-Louis Tomlinson.”

The client pats Louis on the shoulder. “Louis Tomlinson, it will be our pleasure to work with you for months to come. You’ll be taking the lead on our project. We’ll be in touch.”

Everything after that is a blur, there are people moving and talking around him but Louis remains frozen on the spot. Not only did he secure one of the biggest named clients their firm has ever had, but he’s been appointed by the client to lead the project. Louis could faint right here on the spot. He didn’t even get to see Simon’s reaction which he would have killed to witness.

He texts his friends and Nick, insisting they meet at Benny’s tonight, telling them they have something to celebrate. Louis meets Nick at the train station and together they walk to Benny’s.

“So are you going to tell me what it is we’re celebrating?” Nick asks him.

Louis smirks, “You have to wait and find out with everyone else.” He’s so giddy, he almost caves and tells him there, but he decides to wait to tell them all at once.

Thankfully his friends are already at their booth with booze in hand. Nick gets them something to drink and when Louis settles into his seat, prying eyes are already on him waiting for him to break the news. 

When he finally tells them, everyone bursts into cheers. Louis gets hugs from Liam, Zayn and Niall followed by a kiss on the lips from his boyfriend. Harry is waiting with open arms to embrace him. He is grinning from ear to ear. When Louis falls into his arms, he can feel Harry’s breath in his ear.

“I’m so proud of you, Lou.”

The words send shivers down Louis’ spine and he closes his eyes for a second before pulling away. He turns to Nick who puts his arm around his shoulders and kisses him on the cheek.

“You make me so proud, love,” Nick tells him, kissing him again.

For the first time in his career, he feels like his hard work his paying off and he’s moving places. Louis knows that leading a project won’t be easy, but he’s willing to prove himself and show Simon and others that he’s good at his job.

  
  
  


Nick and Niall invite the group to the End of Summer Bash their radio station is hosting at the DoubleTree Hotel rooftop pool downtown. It’s an offer they’d be stupid to refuse, so they make a day out of it. 

They meet at Benny’s where Harry brings his latest flame, Enrique, who’s from Argentina visiting Chicago for the summer. Harry’s been so smitten with him, apparently learning Spanish and spending as much time as he can at the beach so Enrique can teach him how to surf. Louis isn’t sure if the waves of Lake Michigan compare to the waves from the Atlantic Ocean but that’s just him. It’s none of his business anyway.

“Hola, amigos,” Enrique greets everyone when he and Harry arrive. He’s naturally tan with silky black hair that’s pulled back in a bun. Apparently he doesn’t believe in wearing t-shirts or at least Louis doesn’t think he’s ever seen him wear one. Louis tries not to ogle at his very prominent six-pack and the tiny white swim shorts he’s wearing that leave nothing to the imagination.

“Hey, everyone,” Harry follows suit, waving at the group. Harry’s sun-kissed skin practically glows. His hair is still growing but it isn’t long enough to tie up just yet. He’s always got a different headscarf on his head, which Louis finds endearing.

“Hi,” Louis joins the group in responding. Nick and Niall aren’t here, they had to be at the hotel early to set up. He wishes he had his boyfriend with him, just because now he’s realizing that he’s the fifth wheel with two couples. “I’m gonna go get a drink.”

Louis’ phone rings when he’s on his way to the bar and his shoulders relax and a smile appears on his face when he sees Nick’s picture on the screen.

“Hey, baby,” Louis answers.

“Hi, darling. Are you guys on your way?”

Louis asks the bartender for a Corona before replying. “Not yet. Just met up with the guys at Benny’s. We’re just having a drink and then we’ll head out.”

“Oh alright. Hurry up, I miss you.”

That brings a chuckle out of Louis. “We spend one night apart and already you’re getting clingy on me.”

Louis can hear Nick practically pout on the other line. “Don’t tease me.”

“Sorry,” Louis sighs dramatically. “I’ll try my best to get these disgusting couples to get on their way so I can get to my boy.”

Nick laughs. “You must be miserable.”

“Just a tad,” he chuckles. “I’ll text you when we’re on our way, okay?”

“Sounds great, love.”

“Bye.” Louis hangs up and stares at his phone. It’s been happening for the last couple of weeks, where he finds himself wanting to say those three words to Nick but he stops.

They’ve been seeing each other for about seven months now, officially about six. God knows he and Harry exchanged those words a lot sooner. So why does he feel guilty every time he’s about to say it to Nick?

Louis takes a sip of his beer and glances over his shoulder. He sees Harry giggling into Enrique’s shoulder like he’s the funniest man in the room. There’s no jealousy or ill will toward Harry or Enrique. Those types of feelings toward his ex have been long gone, but there’s still random moments when he takes pause. It’s weird and Louis isn’t sure if it’s something that will eventually go away completely or if he’s just always going to have to live with that. Either way, Louis shoves it into the deep crevices of his mind like many times before and takes another swig of his drink before joining the group.

“Are we all ready to get going?” he asks when he gets to their booth. Everyone agrees and they empty out their drinks before ordering an Uber to the hotel.

Louis has never been to a rooftop pool before, even growing up in the Chicagoland area. So when they get to the top, he can’t help the gasp that escapes his lips. 

“Wow.”

Nick sees them and waves them over to the bar. He’s already got a cocktail in his hand and turns to tell the bartender something before pulling Louis into him for a hug.

“Hey,” Nick kisses him. He tastes like the appletini in his hand. The bartender places another cocktail on the bartop and Nick smiles, nodding at Louis toward it.

“What is it?” Louis asks taking the glass in his hand and having a sip. “A cosmo? I feel like I’m living an episode of Sex and the City.”

Nick snorts. “Does that make me Carrie Bradshaw or Mr. Big?”

Louis quirks his eyebrow, “I’d call you Mr. Big, but not because of the show.”

Nick throws his head back in a guffaw, slapping him on his chest.

“Ew, TMI,” Zayn groans.

Louis sort of startles, completely forgetting that their friends were at earshot. Whoops.

He shrugs. “Oh well. The secret’s out.”

Shortly after, Nick gets called for work stuff, leaving Louis to alone with his friends again. He hangs out with Zayn and Liam for most of the time, getting some promotional floaties and messing about in the pool. When his best friends start getting a little too mushy for his taste, he heads over to the bar for something to drink, feeling like he’s losing his buzz. Louis lost track of Harry and Enrique a while ago and Niall and Nick are hard at work. He gets into a mindless conversation with a random stranger at the bar while they wait for their drinks, but eventually, they go their separate ways. 

Louis finds a spot where he has the most amazing view of the city. The sun is getting ready to set, hues of orange, pink and purple painting the sky. Louis feels compelled to capture it in a picture, even uploading a couple of images on Instagram, feeling the need to savor this moment. As he’s putting his phone back in his pocket, Louis feels arms wrap around his waist, and Nick’s chin resting on his shoulder. 

“It’s a wonderful view isn’t it?” Nick marvels.

Louis hums in agreement.

“I love summer nights like this,” Nick says.

This is Louis’ opportunity. Nick has made him the happiest he’s been this year and Louis can see a future with him. They’re here cuddled together admiring the sunset in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. Louis throws caution to the wind and turns around to face Nick, a warm smile on his face.

Nick stares at him, his honey brown eyes boring into his own.

“I love you, Nick,” Louis declares. He’s relieved saying it, knowing that he’s no longer holding it in and it’s out there for Nick to hear.

Nick’s lips instantly curve into a grin.

“Yeah?” Nick asks, his voice sounding elated. 

Louis nods, taking Nick’s face into his hands and pulling him closer. “I do. So much.”

Nick laughs brightly. “Thank God, because I’m absolutely madly in love with you, Louis Tomlinson.”

Louis pulls him into a kiss then. It’s soft at first, but it turns into something more passionate, like Louis wants to show Nick just how much he means the words he just said to him. 


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's my birthday! Here's another chapter for you. :)

**September 2020**

Louis walks into Benny’s with Nick in one hand and Niall's birthday present in the other. He and Nick pitched in on getting Niall a ticket to the Chicago Bears’ preseason game against the Green Bay Packers. The bar is bustling with people since Niall seems to know half of the city. They find their group holed up in their usual booth drinking and laughing about something. Liam notices them and his eyes light up, getting everyone else’s attention and making them cheer. 

“It’s about time you made it!” Niall shouts at them. Louis shuts him up by handing him the envelope with his present which piques his interest. Niall is quick to open it up and his eyes go wide along with his grin. “Okay I forgive you, thank you!”

Louis and Nick laugh and wrap him in a hug on each side of him before Nick excuses himself to the bar to grab them a drink. Louis sits next to Harry, who he nods to in greeting.

“So, did I miss anything interesting?” Louis inquires.

Zayn shrugs. “Not really. Just Niall calling people bitches, but that’s nothing new.”

Nick comes back with a beer in each hand and gives Louis one, kissing him on the head and sitting next to him. Louis looks around the room, catching some familiar faces he’s seen at different parties Niall has thrown throughout the years, stopping when he notices a guy behind the bar he’s never seen before. Being a regular, they’re all close friends with most of the employees in the establishment and going by the way the young man looks like a deer caught in the headlights, he’s definitely new.

“Who’s the new guy?” Louis gestures toward the man. The others turn to see who he’s talking about.

“I don’t know, I’ve never seen him before,” Liam says.

“Benny must have hired a new person to replace Carl. Remember he’s moving to Seattle in a couple of weeks?” Harry reminds them.

“Oh right,” Zayn says.

Niall hasn’t said anything, he’s just sipping from his scotch and his eyes haven’t left the guy in question. He’s probably thinking of ways to make the poor boy his new wingman.

They must have made it obvious that they were curious about him because the guy looks up, grins and walks over to them waving his hand.

“Hey, I’m Shawn. Benny told me about you, said to make sure I take care of his favorite customers,” he says. He sounds young, like he’s fresh out of college in a new city trying to fit in, it’s endearing.

They all introduce each other and Shawn shakes everyone’s hand. Niall is the last one, and their handshake lingers for a little longer than the rest. Niall’s still being weird, but maybe the alcohol has already gotten to him since he’s probably been taking birthday shots from the moment he arrived.

Someone comes to get Niall for another shot and just like that he shakes himself out of his trance, smiling and accepting the alcohol happily. Louis gets pretty buzzed along with his friends and boyfriend and it’s fun. At one point “Bohemian Rhapsody” begins playing through the speakers and it turns into one big sing along among everyone in the bar including the employees. They toast, sing “Happy Birthday” to Niall and cut the cake before people begin leaving one by one until it’s just the six of them.

“Niall, how is it possible that you’re still here and haven’t gone home with a girl on your birthday?” Louis asks.

Niall shrugs, “Didn’t see anyone I wanted,” he murmurs, swallowing his drink and his eyes glance toward the bar area. 

“That’s a first,” Liam says.

The rest of the group laughs except for Louis. There’s something off about their friend, but he can’t pinpoint exactly what it is. He decides to let it go for now, leaning into Nick’s side and jumping back into the conversation with his friends.

  
  
  


Fall arrives and with it comes the wonderful weather Louis loves so much. He nearly squeals when he notices the leaves are starting to fall off the trees and can’t help but step on the ones he sees on his way to the train station, feeling that satisfying crunch with each footstep. 

For the first time in a long time, Louis can say that work is going better than ever. He’s been assigned as the project manager for a big client at his firm, much to Simon’s chagrin. Louis doesn’t miss the bitter looks on his boss’ face whenever he sees him in the office, but he doesn’t let it deter him from putting his all into his work. The clients are happy with what Louis has shown them and that’s all that matters to him. They’ve been finalizing the details and are set to get the actual preparations going so that they can begin building in the spring.

Throwing himself into work makes for long hours at the office. He’s hardly had time to see his boyfriend let alone hang out with the group at Benny’s. When he gets home, Nick is already in bed sound asleep since he wakes up in the middle of the night to host a morning radio show. Louis leans in to kiss him gently on the head and quietly tiptoes out to the kitchen to see what food there is to eat. 

There’s a Tupperware in the fridge with leftover lasagna that Louis heats up in the microwave. Just as he’s about to sit on the couch and turn on Netflix, he gets a call from Harry.

Wrinkling his eyebrows, Louis answers. “Hello?”

“Lou Lou,” Harry giggles. “Sorry, sorry. I know it’s late but I’ve missed you, darling friend. Where have you been?” His voice is high and on the verge of slurring, making Louis concerned.

“Where are you, Haz?”

“‘M at Benny’s. Shawn, you’ve met Shawn, right? He’s really lovely and he makes these really good Long Island iced teas and I’ve had a few,” Harry giggles again.

“Okay, don’t go anywhere, alright? I’ll be right down.”

“‘Kay,” Harry says before Louis hangs up. He grabs a hoodie and heads downstairs to the bar. Harry is sitting by himself in their booth staring at his phone. The bar is dead, only a few customers linger by the bar and a couple of tables. Louis waves at Shawn and approaches Harry, whose face brightens as soon as he notices him. “Hi, Louis!”

“Hey, what are you doing here alone?” Louis sits across from Harry, looking at him with concern. Harry’s hair is in a bun, some strands of hair sticking out. He’s wearing a red flannel long sleeved shirt with a holed up white t-shirt underneath. Louis doesn’t like the redness around Harry’s eyes, telling him that he’s been crying making him worry even more.

Harry shrugs. “Wanted a drink.”

“Harry,” Louis says sternly. “What’s going on?”

Harry sips on the straw from his drink, emptying the glass. He lets out a sigh. 

“I was up for a promotion at work and I didn’t get it. It sounds stupid for getting this upset about it but I feel like I’ve been working my arse off for two years for nothing.”

Louis touches his forearm comfortingly. “It’s not stupid. You have every right to be upset because you deserved that promotion.”

Harry snorts. “You didn’t even know about it. No one knew, I wanted to surprise everyone and now I just feel silly for thinking I had it.”

Louis shakes his head. “It’s not silly at all. Trust me. Simon has passed me up for a lot of things before. It sucks feeling like everyone around you is accomplishing so much and you’re still the same. But Haz, you’re going to get there, I’m sure of it.”

“I don’t think so," Harry looks down at his hands, playing with the condensation on his glass. His lips are formed into a pout.

“I know so. You’re so good at what you do, it won’t be long before we see you on a billboard on the freeway or on an ad on the bus. It’s in the cards for you, I can feel it.”

A smile begins to appear on Harry’s face. It’s small and closed lipped but it’s there and his cheeks have gone a bit pink.

“Just hang in there okay? Keep working hard and doing what you do. The right opportunity will come along. I promise.”

Harry moves his arm so that he’s squeezing Louis’ hand. It makes his skin prickle because it’s been nearly a year since their hands have touched like this.

“Thanks, Louis.”

Louis doesn’t let go, instead flashing a reassuring smile. “Anytime you need a pep talk, you know where I am.”

Harry’s smile fades and his eyes go wide. “Oh my God I’m so sorry for calling you. Shit, I know you’ve been crazed at work. I didn’t mean to bother you with all my self pity.”

“It’s fine, really.”

“It’s not. I shouldn’t have...” Harry is wincing and Louis interrupts him.

“Harry, stop. We’re friends and we’re there for each other, okay? You have nothing to be sorry for.”

Harry relents and offers to buy Louis a drink for his troubles. Louis orders a beer, not wanting anything too strong so late at night. They chat for a bit, catching Harry up on life and work while Louis gets updated on their friend group.

“Niall’s been acting weird, you know?” Harry says.

“How?”

“He hasn’t pulled a girl any of the times I’ve seen him and he’s been sort of quiet?”

“Is he okay?” Louis asks.

“He claims he’s fine. Makes up excuses that he’s tired or isn’t feeling well but I don’t buy it.”

Louis thinks about the time he noticed Niall acting strange and oddly quiet as well and wonders if the events are connected. He decides not to bring it up to Harry, at least not yet. Who knows what goes on in Niall’s mind, but they both know that something just isn’t right with their normally bubbly friend who likes to be the life of the party. 

  
  
  


Louis temporarily forgets about his friends’ troubles because Thanksgiving is just around the corner. It’s a bigger deal this year than other years because he’s not just going to be spending it with his family, but with Nick’s family as well. Louis’ mom has met Nick once when Lottie gave birth and they went to visit in the hospital, but there wasn’t much interaction since everyone was more focused on the recently born baby. She suggested that Louis invite Nick and his family to come over and everyone was all for it.

It’s not the first time Louis will meet Nick’s family either. He’s met Nick’s mom, sister and niece when they attended his niece’s birthday dinner. Still, it feels like a big step for them because their families will be interacting with each other and Louis just really wants it to go well.

Louis ends up taking the week of Thanksgiving off to help his mom clean and set up the house for their upcoming guests. On Thanksgiving day, Louis is a ball of nerves. He goes so far as to buy an entire new outfit, wanting to make the best impression possible.

Nick and his family arrive with a casserole and a bottle of wine, which Louis takes and helps put away in the kitchen. Jay and Nick’s mom end up getting along from the get go and it even turns out that they have friends in common. Nick and Louis stare at each other with raised eyebrows and just watch in amusement as they start talking about their common friend’s botched Botox. 

Louis gets distracted by his baby niece when Lottie arrives and he immediately takes her from her mother and only lets her go reluctantly when it’s time to feed her. He takes everything in, how their entire dining room is full of people having lively conversation. Everyone fits in seamlessly, and you wouldn’t be able to tell that Nick and his family are guests because they get along like family. The scene brings a smile to Louis’ face and when Nick catches his attention, he winks at him making his boyfriend grin.

  
  
  


This year instead of having Louis’ birthday celebration at Benny’s, he decides to host it at Zayn and Liam’s house. The usual people are invited, with the addition of Shawn. Their group has grown fond him and he sometimes even joins them at their booth when he’s done with a shift. That led to Liam offering him an internship at his law firm when he heard Shawn started his first year of law school in the fall.

The set up is similar to the one they’ve done at Benny’s. Nick has his DJ stuff set up in the living room by the makeshift dance floor, there’s an array of finger foods and an innumerable amount of alcohol in the dining area. Christmas decorations adorn the walls along with Liam and Zayn’s insanely big Christmas tree. Louis likes this better, it feels more at home.

Everyone goes home to their families for the holidays, including Harry. Louis and Nick take turns spending time with each other’s family and exchanging gifts. They’re in bed on Christmas morning and Louis pulls out an envelope placing it on Nick’s bare chest.

“What’s this?”

“Your gift, silly. Now open it.”

Nick raises an eyebrow. “This is my gift? I just gave you a very expensive Givenchy sweater and all I get is an envelope?”

Louis slaps his boyfriend on the arm. “Just shut up and open it already. If you don’t like it, then you can complain.”

Nick lets out a dramatic exasperated breath, rolling his eyes playfully. “Alright then.” He sits up and begins tearing up the envelope to reveal a card. Nick laughs, “Seriously?” He begins to read the front of the card out loud, “You have me. So I don’t know what else you could possibly wish for… But knock yourself out. (Oh and Merry Christmas!)” He snorts and looks over at Louis, who is already grinning.

“Open it,” Louis nods. Nick shakes his head fondly and does as told. A key falls out of the card, which Nick catches. He reads the inside and his mouth parts open.

“Wait… what?” Nick’s voice shakes. 

Louis grabs the card from Nick, “It says, ‘I love you, will you move in with me?’” He looks up and Nick is staring at him with shiny eyes. “So, what do you say then?”

Nick laughs and leans into him to hug him and kiss him. “Of course I’ll move in with you, fuck. I love you so much.” They kiss again, deeper this time. Everything feels so right, from the warmth of their bodies against the cold sheets to the heated kisses. This time, not only is Louis going to move in with his boyfriend but he knows that there is a future with him where marriage and children are a possibility and it brings him so much joy he could burst with it. 

The day after Christmas, Louis bids farewell to his family, driving back to his, soon to be  _ their, _ apartment with Nick. His boyfriend is going to Fiji for the next two weeks while Louis plans to spend New Year with his friends, wishing he were at the beach with Nick.

It takes the group forever to decide what they want to do for New Year. Niall wants to go clubbing, but the rest of the group is against it, ultimately settling for going to Benny’s annual New Year’s party. It turns out being a lot of fun. Aside from the crowded atmosphere, they end up setting up a DJ and making space for a dancefloor, making it feel different than the usual bar they’re accustomed to hanging out in. 

Luckily Louis doesn’t feel like the odd single one of the group. Neither Niall nor Harry brought dates, which Louis finds odd. Louis doesn’t think he’s seen Niall with anyone from the opposite sex in quite a while, but he’s too busy missing his boyfriend to think too hard about it. 

Louis buys their group a round of shots. “I want to make a toast and an announcement,” he says. He’d cleared it with Nick and he gave him the okay to tell their friends. 

The guys raise their shot glasses, looking at him with curious eyes. Louis grins.

“I asked Nick to move in with me and he agreed,” he says.

It seems to take them a moment for the words to register or maybe it’s the music that’s too loud and they aren’t able to hear Louis as clearly, but then Zayn and Liam jump to congratulate him before Niall follows suit. Louis can’t see what Harry’s doing when he’s being wrapped up in arms and being patted on the back. By the time he’s back in his seat he’s staring in Louis’ direction, raising his shot and downing it. Okay then.

Louis doesn’t let that bother him. Instead, he swallows the tequila in his own glass before going to ask for something stronger and sending Nick a text that he misses him and he just told the guys the big news.

The rest of the evening feels dull and Louis doesn’t know if it’s because he doesn’t have anyone to kiss at midnight or because he can’t stop thinking about Harry’s reaction. Maybe he’s just overthinking everything altogether.

  
  
  
  


Louis loves the view from here. It’s like he has the entire city at his fingertips. The lights at night make it look like a galaxy full of stars. It will never cease to amaze him. He can spot Millennium Park from here, the bean looking like a shiny metallic jelly bean. Louis tightens the fuzzy blanket wrapped around his naked body and continues admiring the sight before him.

Nick appears next to him and when Louis turns to him he’s already staring back with a fond look on his face.

“Admiring the view?” Nick asks. Louis nods. “Me too.” Louis blushes as if it’s the first time Nick’s ever complimented him. 

When Louis had gotten home from work, he’d found Nick waiting for him, bags packed and an Uber waiting to take them to a fancy hotel downtown. Nick explained that they both needed a breather from their crazy life, which is true. Louis’ work had piled on even more since the new year began and Nick is up for a promotion at work so they’ve hardly had time to see each other except at night when the other is asleep.

Louis loves that about Nick, how he just knows what he needs and does it without question. He already feels immensely relaxed and they haven’t been here even 24 hours. They ordered room service and haven’t left the bed. 

Nick pulls Louis in and kisses him on the forehead. “Get dressed, love. I’m taking you out tonight.”

Louis has no idea what clothes Nick packed for him, but he takes a shower and spends time looking through their bag. He pulls out a pair of black jeans and sweater Nick got him for Christmas which he wore for New Year’s but his boyfriend never got to see it in person. Nick looks gorgeous in a simple blue button down and jeans that make his long legs look amazing. 

“So where are you taking me?” Louis asks when they’re getting in the Uber outside the hotel. 

Nick holds his hand and kisses it. “All in due time, my love.”

Louis wants to complain, but he trusts Nick and knows it won’t be a boring evening.

The car pulls up to a restaurant Louis has never heard of before. When they arrive, Nick tells the hostess he’s made reservations. She seems to recognize the name because without looking she just smiles and takes them to their awaiting table. There’s a live piano playing a beautiful melody and they pass by a fountain with real fish inside. It’s a very upscale place, Louis can only imagine how much it will cost to eat here. 

“Here we go,” the hostess gestures to their table. It’s in a more secluded area with a beautiful view of the lake and the skyline. She hands them their menus and informs them that their waiter will arrive shortly. 

They peruse their menus and it’s oddly quiet. Louis’ eyes flick over to Nick and he’s staring at his menu like his life depends on it. 

“You okay?” Louis asks.

Nick’s head snaps up to meet Louis gaze and smiles reassuringly. “Yeah, why?”

Louis shrugs. “Nothing, you’re just quiet.”

Nick chuckles, “I’m fine, baby. Do you see anything you like?”

Louis doesn’t miss the change of subject, but he lets it slide. Instead, his eyes go back to the menu, studying its contents. He hums, “The Lobster risotto sounds really good.”

When the waiter comes, Louis orders just that. Nick also asks for a bottle of wine. They make small talk, neither of them wanting to talk about work or the real world. The food is exquisite and they even order some creme brulee for dessert which is just as good. 

“Complimentary champagne on the house,” the waiter announces after removing their dessert plates. They thank him, and Nick stares at Louis, his eyes shifting a bit. 

Louis takes his glass and has a sip. He’s not usually the biggest fan of champagne, but he figures this is better than the cheap store brand he’s tried. Sure enough, it’s not bitter and flavorless, like the other champagne he’s had. 

It isn’t until Louis is down to his last sip that he sees it and his heart stops. He almost chokes on the liquid, but he manages to swallow it down before reaching in with a fork to fetch the silver band from the bottom of the glass. When he looks up, Nick is getting on one knee. Everything around him slows down, his ears ring and Louis feels like he’s floating out of his body up to the ceiling. The floating version of him watches as Nick grabs the ring from Louis’ finger.

“Louis, a year ago, I would have never imagined I’d be where I am right now. You’ve changed my life in so many ways for the better. I love you so much, will you marry me?” Nick’s voice trembles, his eyes shining.

Louis doesn’t realize he’s got tears in his eyes until Nick wipes a tear away. Suddenly the floaty version of him jumps back into his body, making Louis snap back to reality to give Nick an answer.

“Ye-yes, of course,” he sniffs, grinning.

Nick’s face nearly splits in half as he places the ring on his finger and pulls Louis’ face in to kiss him. It’s soft and salty with tears and they end up laughing into it. Louis wraps his arms around Nick’s neck to keep him in place.

“I love you. Oh my God, I love you,” Louis says between kisses.

They pull away and Louis wipes his face. They look around and they’re alone.

“So what now?”

They laugh again. Nick shrugs, “Now, we go back to the hotel and have ‘we’re engaged’ sex.”

“I’m definitely up for that.”

They spend the rest of the weekend basking in each other, ordering room service and never leaving the bed. 

Louis lays in bed the morning they’re meant to go back to the apartment. The sun is filtering through the wall to ceiling windows. He extends his hand to stare at his ring, it’s something he hasn’t been able to stop doing since Nick put it on his finger. The sunlight reflects against the silver band, making it shine. He can’t wait to share the news with his family and friends. 

Nick tightens his hold around Louis, still sound asleep. Louis closes his eyes and lets sleep take over again, not ready to leave this happy bubble just yet.

  
  
  


Louis and Nick invite their friends and family over to the apartment. They don’t tell anyone what the occasion is, just that they want to host a dinner party. Nick goes all out with the food and since Louis is pretty useless in the kitchen, he helps with drinks and dessert. The living room is transformed, replacing the coffee table with a longer table big enough to fit everyone.

Their families arrive first, followed by Liam and Zayn. Niall shows up with a six pack of beer and Harry is the last one to come. He looks sheepishly at Louis when he opens the door.

“So sorry I’m late, lost track of time,” Harry says. He hands him a bottle of wine. “I know it isn’t much, but...” he shrugs.

“Don’t worry about it. Thank you. Come in.” Louis moves aside to let Harry in. 

Jay is the first to notice Harry, her eyes lighting up. “Harry darling, how are you?” She pulls him into a hug making Harry blush.

Louis doesn’t stick around to listen to their conversation, instead he puts the wine in the fridge and gets people drinks. Nick is in the kitchen taking the roast out of the oven to let it rest. Louis leans in to kiss Nick on the cheek before getting beers for Niall and Harry. 

Butterflies have been swirling in Louis’ stomach since the first person walked through his door tonight. The closer they’re getting to announcing the news, the more intense they get. It isn’t until most are done with dinner that Louis and Nick get everyone’s attention.

“We want to thank everyone for being here tonight,” Nick begins with a glass of wine in one hand. “Louis and I wanted the people we love most in the world to be here because we have some news for you.”

That seems to pique everyone’s interest even more. Louis feels his face heat up as people look with interest between he and Nick.

Nick grabs Louis’ hand and kisses it before placing it against his chest. “Louis and I are engaged.”

A loud gasp resonates throughout the room before people are jumping out of their seats to congratulate them. Both of their mothers have tears in their eyes, which is so endearing to watch. 

In the midst of all the hugs, Louis’ eyes happen to land on Harry who is already looking right at him. He isn’t smiling and his face shows an expression Louis can’t decipher. He remembers when he used to be able to read him like a book and now he has no idea what’s going on through his mind. Louis averts his gaze because the exchange has become too intense for him, but when he checks on him again he’s gone. He wants to ask where he’s gone too, but doesn’t want to bring any attention to it. In that moment, his mother wraps her arms around him, kissing him on the cheek.

“Harry excused himself to the bathroom,” she whispers. “Congratulations baby, I’m so happy for you.”

Louis hadn’t noticed his mom watching him, but he schools his face, pasting a smile and thanking her. This is his and Nick’s big moment and Louis shouldn’t waste time trying to figure Harry out anymore.

  
  
  


Construction officially begins on his project and Louis gets a shit ton of work piled on him. It’s both a stressful and amazing time. Nick and Louis don’t officially set a date for the wedding right away, but they both express an interest in having a fall wedding. It all gets thrown into the back burner for some time because of Louis’ crazy work schedule. He tries his best when Nick brings up possible venues or a tentative guest list, but he can tell by the look on his face that it isn’t enough.

Louis gets news at work that there has been a delay with the project, meaning it won’t be done around the time it was originally planned. This puts Louis in a difficult position where he’s forced to push back the wedding just weeks after they’d finally agreed on a date. Nick takes it well, but Louis can tell he’s not happy about it. All Louis can do is apologize profusely and continue to try his best and help with the preparations.

By some miracle, Louis is able to make time to go venue hunting with Nick. They ultimately set their wedding date to November. It’s technically still fall by then, but they do run the risk of having snow on their big day. But as long as Louis gets to marry Nick, nothing else matters to him.

With the venue officially booked, they go into full wedding mode. Louis uses this as his opportunity to get back at Liam and Zayn and recruits them as his wedding helpers, making them stuff invitations and filter through bands. 

“I can’t believe you’re going to turn into one of them,” Niall groans while they’re at Benny’s one night. It’s been a while since they’ve all been at the bar together, what with Louis’ hectic schedule. He doesn’t miss the fact Harry’s not around, but he doesn’t ask about him.

“Does this mean you don’t want to come over for cake tasting this weekend? It will save us money since we were planning on ordering two of each flavor with you there,” Louis explains.

At that, Niall’s eyes light up. “Oh no, I’ll be there. There’s no way I’d miss cake tasting. It’s practically the only thing about weddings I enjoy.”

Louis rolls his eyes.

The cake tasting turns out to be mostly couples except for Niall. Harry brings Lance with him, introducing him to the entire group. Lance is polite, taking the time to shake everyone’s hand. 

They set the cakes on the coffee table and pass out paper plates and forks. 

“We’re going to start here and work our way to the left. There are five different flavor combinations and we’re supposed to pick one at the end,” Nick explains. He’s been so adorable about all the wedding stuff, putting so much care and attention to every detail. 

They start with the chocolate raspberry with vanilla buttercream. Louis almost spits it out immediately.

“Louis I thought you hated raspberries,” Harry says after Louis rinses his mouth with water.

“I do,” Louis says turning to Nick. “It must have never come up in conversation. Sorry, love.”

Nick rubs his back. “I’m sorry too. I should have passed all these flavors by you.”

Louis shrugs it off and they continue. The next one is red velvet cake with cheesecake frosting. It’s a delicious flavor combination and all the raspberry disgustingness is quickly forgotten. 

When they’re in the middle of tasting a so-called lemon summer berry, there’s a knock on the door. Louis and Nick exchange glances, neither of them are expecting anyone else to come over. Louis stands to answer it.

A woman he’s never seen before in his life is on the other side. She’s blonde with blue eyes and looks upset.

“Hi, is Lance here?” she asks, trying to look over Louis’ shoulder.

An uneasy feeling settles in Louis’ stomach. “Uh yeah, hold on.” He looks over his shoulder and it’s enough to distract him. The woman enters the apartment, her eyes setting on Lance who was just hand fed a piece of cake by Harry.

“Lance!”

Lance startles, his eyes going wide at the sight of the woman. He jumps off Harry’s lap.

“Abby! What are you doing here?” Lance nervously looks around him, Harry standing up next to him.

“Lance, who is this?” Harry asks.

Abby crosses her arms. “I’m his wife. Yeah, I checked your cell phone and knew you’d be here.”

The couple look like they’re about to get into an argument so Louis begins to guide them out of the door.

“Please handle this outside.” Louis shuts the door and lets out a breath. He sees Harry being surrounded by Liam, Zayn and Niall. He doesn’t miss the tears in his eyes and Louis’ heart breaks for him.

After a few minutes, Harry wipes at his eyes. “Excuse me, I need some air.”

Harry climbs up the fire escape right by the living room window.

“I’m gonna go see if he’s okay,” Louis says before following Harry up to the roof. Their roof isn’t big enough to host parties or anything like that, but Louis does occasionally use it to smoke a cigarette when he’s stressed, or to console upset ex boyfriends.

Louis spots Harry sitting on the concrete, his back against the brick wall, tears still in his eyes. He doesn’t say anything, just finds a seat next to him, hugging his knees to his chest. A few moments later, Harry leans his head against Louis’ shoulder, making him wrap an arm around him. Harry sniffles and Louis rubs his back.

“For the record, I had no idea Lance was married. The last thing I want is any of you guys thinking I date married guys.” Harry feels the need to clarify.

Louis huffs. “There is no way anyone thinks that. We all know Lance is a douchebag who lied to you and his wife.”

“I’m so tired of dating. You wouldn’t believe the amount of creeps I’ve come across. I think I might just give it up altogether,” Harry says. He sits up, tilting his head to face Louis.

“I’m sure the right person is out there for you Haz. You’ll find them in due time.”

Harry gazes at him, a question in his eyes. He’s about to speak up when the sound of footsteps on the fire escape stops him in his tracks.

They look over and Nick is there with a careful smile on his face.

“You guys ready for the last two flavors?” Nick asks.

Louis knows Nick and he’s the type of person to help someone forget their stressful situation and knows that’s what he’s doing now. Some might take it as him being insensitive, which is the opposite of what he is. Louis hopes Harry doesn’t think that of him.

Louis gets to his feet, rubbing the dust off his thighs. “Can’t wait, love.”

Harry is right behind with a small smile on his face. Louis can’t tell if it’s genuine or not. He also wishes he’d know what Harry was about to say, but instead Louis shoves that to the back of his mind.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Halloween! Life is still crazy atm but I still have chapters for you so here you go. :)

**August 2021**

Louis stares at his reflection in the mirror one last time, wanting to make sure not one thing is out of place. He adjusts his tie and runs some fingers through his fringe to make sure it’s perfect. The grin has been permanently etched on his face since he woke up this morning and hasn’t been able to stop it. He’s so happy he could burst. The love of his life is going to be at the altar waiting for him and it’s all he’s ever wanted since he was young.

Someone knocks on the door, Zayn’s face appearing through the crack. “We’re ready for you.” Those four words make Louis’ stomach swarm with butterflies.

Louis turns around, running his hands down his chest before stretching them about and doing a little twirl. “What do you think?”

Zayn smiles. “You make a gorgeous groom.”

With that, Louis follows Zayn out of the door. The music is already playing and the flower girl is making her way down the aisle. Doris captivates her audience if the ooh’s and ahh’s Louis hears are anything to go by. As people take their turns walking down the aisle, Louis’ heart beats faster and harder.

“Are you ready love? Your groom awaits,” Jay says, taking Louis’ arm in hers.

“I’m ready as I’ll ever be.”

Everyone’s gazes fall on him when it’s his turn to walk down the aisle, but Louis only cares about one face. His eyes travel up to the front where his groom should be waiting, looking for a familiar set of hazel eyes. Louis’ heart stops when instead of finding Nick he sees Harry in his place. Harry is grinning, his dimples as beautiful and breathtaking as ever. He stares at Louis like he’s the most ethereal being to ever walk this earth.

“Mom, what is Harry doing up there?” Louis whispers as they continue walking. It feels eternal, but they’re almost at the front where Harry awaits.

“What are you talking about dear?”

Before Louis can ask his mom anything else, they’ve made it to the front. Harry takes Louis’ hand and kisses Jay on the cheek before taking in Louis’ appearance.

“You look amazing, babe.”

“Babe? Harry, what are you doing? Why are you here? Where’s Nick?” Louis tries again.

Harry’s grin fades a little, he looks at Louis with confusion. “Who’s Nick?”

Louis self consciously glances around him before leaning in to whisper. “Nick is my fiance. Come on, don’t play dumb, Harry. Where is he? He’s the one I’m supposed to be marrying today.”

Harry’s eyebrows wrinkle. “I’m sorry, Louis, I don’t know what you’re on about. You’re my fiance and marrying me today. Come on, there’s no time to joke right now.” He looks concerned now, like Louis might be sick or something. 

He squeezes Louis’ hand but Louis pulls away. “No, no. You don’t want to marry me. You never want to get married or have kids, remember? That’s why we broke up. Seriously, Harry, where is he?”

Louis can feel himself starting to panic, his chest getting tight, his breathing growing rapid. There’s sweat trickling down his temples. Zayn, Liam and Niall surround him, asking him if he’s okay, but Louis tries to pull away.

Louis gasps, sitting up on his bed, panting. He places his hand against his chest and tries taking deep breaths to calm down. 

“Are you okay?” Nick’s familiar voice makes him jump a little, but when Louis sees him he can’t help but touch him and make sure he’s really here.

Louis nods feeling himself start to relax. “Yeah, yeah. Just a bad dream is all.”

“I heard you saying Harry’s name in your sleep. What kind of bad dream were you having with Harry?” Nick asks.

Louis laughs nervously. “All the guys were in the dream, not just Harry. We were being chased by zombies and stuff,” he tries his best to lie. He hates doing it, but Louis is sure Nick won’t like what he was really dreaming about.

“Oh, okay then,” Nick says. He doesn’t seem completely convinced, but either way he drops it. 

“I’m gonna go get a glass of water,” Louis tells him. The water helps but every time Louis closes his eyes he can see the happy look on Harry’s face as he watched him walk down the aisle. “It was just a dream. you idiot,” he mutters to himself.

With one last glass of water, Louis goes back to bed. willing the images of Harry as his groom to go away for good.

  
  
  


The beginning of fall not only brings pumpkin spiced lattes and cooler weather, but Louis’ big project also finally comes to an end. The client is happy with the result, commending Louis about the great job he’s done, even telling him they’d love to work with him again. They celebrate at Benny’s, Nick buying everyone a round of drinks to toast to Louis’ success. Louis basks in the attention and doesn’t hold back on the liquor, feeling that he deserves it.

Louis catches Harry staring a few times. Harry looks away every time he’s caught, but Louis knows there’s something on his mind. He excuses himself to the bathroom, the alcohol finally catching up to him. He’s not surprised to find Harry there just as he’s zipping his pants back up. Harry stands by the sink, staring again. Louis washes his hands and dries them with the paper towels provided before turning toward Harry.

“What is it?”

Harry’s eyes shift a few times before he speaks. “I got offered a job as foreign correspondent. It requires me to move to Japan and I accepted it.”

The words hit Louis like a ton of bricks. He’s not sure what he was expecting Harry to say, but it sure wasn’t that he was going to move to another country. He struggles to find something to say.

“When do you leave?”

Harry clears his throat. “My flight leaves the day after your wedding. I haven’t told any of the guys yet, but I don’t know, I just felt like you should know first since you were there when I was struggling with all this career shit.”

“Well, I’m happy for you, you know?” He wraps his arms around Harry without warning. “You’re meant to do amazing things, so this is just the beginning for you.”

Harry lets out a sigh and sinks into Louis’ embrace. “Thanks, Lou.”

Louis is genuinely happy for Harry. He’s going after his dreams of traveling the world and he wishes him nothing but success. Louis does his best to ignore the ache in his chest when he witnesses him tell the rest of their group. They all surround Harry in hugs, making him tear up and swear up a storm that he’ll come and visit as often as he can. 

  
  
  


Everyone pitches in to help Harry on his new adventure. He has less than a month to pack up what he’s taking with him to Japan. Harry decides to sell most of his stuff except the things he considers to be essential. Louis helps him post his stuff on Craigslist so he can get rid of them as soon as possible. 

The closer the wedding gets, the more hectic things become. There’s at least one crisis every day, whether it’s the band cancelling the last minute or the photographer telling them he’s gonna be running late. Louis tries to be the most supportive fiancé he can be when Nick starts freaking out about something new. Surprisingly, he's the one that’s turned into the Groomzilla of the two, when Louis was sure it would be him taking that role. 

They throw a bachelor party at Benny’s with their closest friends. With Harry about to leave the country, Louis isn’t in the biggest partying mood but it’s also a sort of farewell for their friend. 

“Remember when Harry tried s’mores for the first time and that’s all he wanted to eat for the next week?” Niall says. They’re all in their booth exchanging funny Harry stories.

Harry buries his face in his hands while the rest of them laugh at his expense. 

“Yes and then he puked and now he can’t look at them,” Louis reminds everyone. Another wave or laughter takes over them.

“I hate all of you, I’m never stepping foot in Chicago ever again,” Harry groans.

Liam rubs Harry’s hair. “Oh come on, we’re just teasing.”

“Why don’t we change the subject and talk about the soon to be married couple,” Harry says, gesturing toward Louis and Nick.

Nick places his arm around Louis’ shoulders and kisses him. Shawn has joined them as well since his shift ended about an hour ago. Niall is sipping on his scotch with them.

“Niall, I’m surprised you’re still here. By now you’d have disappeared with one of the girls you’d sweet talked into sleeping with you,” Louis says making the rest of their group laugh in agreement.

“Yeah Niall, what’s up with that? Are you sick?” Zayn feels Niall’s forehead with the back of his hand which Niall shoves away.

“Fuck off!” His face is beet red and he walks over to the bar away from them.

“What’s wrong with him?” Shawn asks.

Louis shrugs. “Beats me. No one really knows what goes on in his head to be honest.”

Once the laughter dies down, Louis stands up with his drink in hand.

“In all seriousness, Nick and I want to thank you all for being here tonight. We are so excited for the big day—” Louis’ gaze falls on Harry who looks away, wiping at his eye. This makes Louis forget for a moment what he’s doing. He clears his throat and looks over at Nick who’s staring at him expectantly— “Cheers!” He takes a hefty gulp of his Jack and coke, accepting handshakes from people and actively not thinking about Harry.

The music gets louder and people continue drinking and dancing the night away. Louis sees Liam and Zayn off in a corner making out, so he shouts at them to get a room, earning him a middle finger from Zayn. There’s no sign of Niall or Shawn for that matter but Louis doesn’t worry too much about that. Niall probably found his nightly hookup and Shawn maybe just went home. He sees Harry talking to one of Louis’ coworkers. A part of him wants to talk to him and check in to see how he’s doing. He’s obviously sad he’s leaving but knows his life and career are about to change for the better. 

“Louis, love. Come meet my cousin Mark.” Nick distracts him from his thoughts. Louis thinks it’s probably better that way anyway.

  
  
  
  


Louis tosses and turns unable to get any sleep for the past few hours. He has a lot on his mind and he doesn’t know what to do with his convoluted thoughts. With the wedding just two days away, the excitement has been eating at him for as long as he can remember. It feels like just yesterday that Nick popped the question and now he’s only days away from saying ”I do.”

Louis’ phone buzzes on the nightstand. It startles him out of bed and he quickly reaches to answer it. He doesn’t expect to see Harry‘s face on the screen.

“Hello?” he whispers, not wanting to wake Nick.

“Louis, I can’t do this. I can’t move to fucking Japan. What was I thinking?” Harry’s panicked voice makes Louis’ heart race. 

He quickly grabs a pair of sweats and a hoodie before tiptoeing out of the room.

“Haz, calm down okay?”

“No, no. That’s impossible. I’m unpacking my stuff, I’m not leaving Chicago.”

Shit. Louis slips on his shoes and is out the door. He drives over to Harry’s while trying his best to keep him calm on the other line but there’s only so much he could do. 

“Open the door, I’m outside.”

He finds a frazzled Harry in his mostly empty apartment. The only thing left are the few boxes he has planned to take with him. One of those boxes has been torn open with some things spilling out of them. 

As soon as Harry sees Louis, he bursts into tears, hugging Louis so tight it hurts but he’s not going to complain. It’s obvious his friend needs to be held right now. 

“I can’t do it, Louis. It’s all too much all at once. What if I hate Japan and then I’m trapped in a foreign country for months and can’t return or what if it’s all a scam and a plot to kidnap me?” Harry is frantic, his eyes wild when he pulls away from Louis.

Louis grabs a hold of him by the arms and squeezes. “Hazza, calm down. Listen to me.” Harry looks into his eyes, making Louis briefly forget what he was about to say. “You’re brilliant and Japan is going to love you. It’s not a scam and you’re not going to hate it. We’ll be lucky if you ever come back to visit, to be honest.”

That makes Harry start to smile a bit.

“This is the opportunity you’ve been waiting for okay? It’s going to be scary as hell but you’re going to kill it. I know it and everyone else knows it too.” Louis instinctively tucks a strand of hair behind Harry’s ear making it seem a lot more intimate than he meant to.

Harry takes a deep breath, his shoulders starting to relax so Louis lets go. 

“Thanks, Louis.”

“For what?”

“For always believing in me even when I don’t.” 

They gaze at each other for a moment before Louis needs to look away. The moment feels a little too heavy for his taste. 

Harry clears his throat. “So are you ready for the big day?” He doesn’t miss the shakiness in his voice but he chooses to ignore it. Probably just the remnants of the panic attack he almost had.

“I am, yeah. Been waiting a long time for this moment.”

Silence falls between them again before Harry speaks up again.

“Do you ever like wonder… never mind,” Harry shakes his head.

“What?”

“No, nothing.” Harry waves him off.

“Harry, just say it.”

Harry meets Louis’ eyes. His smile is gone and he seems hesitant still.

“Do you ever wonder if like we’d never broken up... If maybe this would be our wedding we’re gearing up for?” 

Louis can see that Harry regrets asking as soon as the words come out of his mouth and he wishes he hadn’t tried to get it out of him. Because what he just asked isn’t fair at all.

Louis laughs bitterly, shaking his head.

“We’re not doing this,” he says, turning toward the door. 

Harry starts to say something else, but Louis doesn’t stay to hear him out. Instead he’s storming out, running down the stairs. He hates that Harry’s words are running through his head on the way back to his apartment. 

What was Louis even thinking coming over to Harry’s at almost 3am? His mother always told him that nothing good happens after 2am and she’s yet to be proven wrong. 

When he arrives home, Nick is still sound asleep. Louis places a kiss on his head before getting under the covers and willing his mind to give into sleep. 

  
  
  


Louis stares at himself in the mirror, straightening the lapels of his suit jacket. This isn’t a dream this time around, he already pinched himself to make sure it was real. Months of preparations full of stress and decisions have led up to this day and Louis can’t wait to see Nick’s face at the end of the aisle.

They wanted to be semi traditional and spend last night apart. Nick kept calling it silly, but relented because it’s what Louis wanted to do. 

“Louis, do you know where the rings are? We have a ring bearer with no rings,” Zayn tells him, entering the room. He pauses at the sight of Louis, his lips curving into a proud smile. “Wow. You look amazing.”

Louis can’t help but blush at the compliment. “Thanks. And Nick should have the rings.”

With that, Zayn nods and excuses himself to go find them. All of Louis’ friends are off making sure things are in order, having to assure Louis multiple times that they’ve got things taken care of and insisting he go get ready. 

There’s a soft knock on the door and Louis catches sight of Harry through the mirror. He hasn’t talked to him since Louis left his apartment upset. Harry had texted him an apology the following day, which Louis left unanswered. But Louis doesn’t see the point in being mad about it anymore, especially since Harry is leaving in less than 24 hours.

“Hey,” Harry murmurs, letting himself inside and closing the door behind him.

Louis turns to face him. “Hi.”

Harry’s eyes trail down from Louis’ eyes all the way down to his legs. A sad smile appears on his face. “You look beautiful, Lou.”

Louis self consciously runs a hand down the buttons of his jacket. “Thanks.”

Harry clears his throat. “I just wanted to apologize for the other night. I’m sorry for what I said. You didn’t deserve that and the last thing I want to do is leave things with you on a sour note.”

“No need to apologize, it’s already been forgotten.” Louis waves him off.

“Thank you.” Harry’s eyes fall to Louis’ chest and without saying anything reaches over to straighten out his tie. When he’s done he places his hand on the knot, his eyes meeting Louis.’ 

The moment feels like it’s suspended in time, silence hanging between them. Louis flushes under Harry’s scrutiny but he also can’t bring himself to look away. What if this is the last time he has Harry in front of him like this? What if he never sees Harry again? The thought of that alone makes a knot form in his throat.

“Nick is going to die when he sees you,” Harry says, his voice trembling. His eyes are shining with unshed tears and Louis isn’t doing any better.

Before Louis can say anything in return, Harry is turning to leave. He looks over his shoulder and flashes a sad smile before disappearing for good. Louis is tempted to go after him. He suddenly feels the need to hug him tight, committing his scent to memory in case Harry never makes it back to Chicago.

Another knock on the door disrupts his thoughts. Louis lights up thinking Harry has returned, but it’s Nick who appears instead.

Louis startles and covers his eyes. “Nick, what are you doing here? It’s bad luck to see each other before the wedding!”

Nick moves his hands out of his face. “That’s just a myth, love. Plus, I need to talk to you.”

There isn’t one trace of a smile on Nick’s face and it makes Louis’ stomach sink. 

“Okay, what’s up?”

Nick takes a shaky breath, holding Louis’ hand, “Louis, I love you so much. You know that, right?”

“Yes, of course,” Louis says. The tone of Nick’s voice only scares him even more. “Nick, what’s going on?” he asks even though he’s not sure he wants to know the answer.

Nick looks down at their joined hands and shakes his head, “I can’t get married,” he whispers. He meets Louis’ gaze and tears are trailing down his cheeks. “I know you went to see Harry in the middle of the night the other day.”

“I could have told you that. He was having a panic attack about Japan and I was just trying to help him—”

“That’s not why I think we shouldn’t get married. It’s just—” Nick wipes his eyes, “I feel like I’m always going to come second to Harry. It’s not your fault, I don’t think you can help it really. But I don’t want to be in a marriage where I don’t come first for my husband.”

Louis wipes the tears from his own eyes, hiccuping as he hears Nick out. “Nick, I love you. I’ll always put you first. I don’t understand. Harry is just my friend, like Liam, Zayn and Niall are.”

Nick shakes his head. “I think Harry means more to you than you realize.” He reaches to wipe a tear from Louis’ face. “It’s only a matter of time before you both see it.”

Louis frantically shakes his head. “No it won't. Please don’t do this.”

Nick lifts Louis’ hand and kisses it. “I’m sorry but I think in the end, this is for the best. I hope someday you’ll understand.” He gently lets go of his hand. Despite Louis’ protests, Nick walks out of the room and Louis’ life.

Louis falls to the floor in a sobbing mess. He hears someone come in.

“Louis, what happened?” Liam asks. Zayn kneels next to him to wrap an arm around him and helping him get to a chair.

“Nick doesn’t want to marry me,” he whimpers before breaking into another sob. 

Liam and Zayn exchange a worried look before Liam leaves while Zayn continues to console him. When Liam returns, they work on taking him home. They let him know that Niall and Harry have stayed behind to take care of telling the guests.

When they arrive to the apartment, they get Louis out of his suit and into his sweats. Louis climbs under the covers, wanting to hide away from the world. Just the thought of Nick coming over to get his things makes him cry even harder, his body shaking.

Every now and then, Liam and Zayn check in on him. At one point, the tears stop and numbness overtakes his entire being instead. 

Louis doesn’t know how much time passes. His bedroom is pitch black when hears his bedroom door creak open but he doesn’t bother to look and see who it is. He hears the click of the lamp, brightening up the room some and feels the bed sink behind him before a hand rubs at his back. Suddenly the familiarity of the touch hits him and his body tenses. Turning over on the bed, he sees Harry’s nervous stare. It takes all the strength in Louis to lift his head to face him.

“I hate you, Harry. You’ve ruined my life. Just go to Japan already and leave me the hell alone.”

With that, Louis turns his back to Harry not bothering to see his reaction. Instead, he closes his eyes and finally lets the exhaustion of the day overtake him. 


	14. Chapter 14

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Thanksgiving to those that celebrate it. Sorry life has been hectic and I've had these completed chapters just sitting in my docs. Hope you enjoy!

**November 2021**

The warmth of the sun envelops Louis like a hug. He takes a sip of his cocktail, not sure what it’s called just that it’s fruity and delicious. Adjusting the sunglasses on his face, he leans back in his beach chair and continues to soak up the sunlight.

“Would you like a refill, Mr Grimshaw?”

The words are salt to his already wounded heart. He tenses up, turning to the waiter who seems completely unaware of the amount of pain he just caused. Louis isn’t able to get any words out, so he extends his nearly empty glass to be filled up, closing his eyes.

“Louis, are you okay?”

Louis opens his eyes at the sound of Zayn’s voice. After the worst day of Louis’ life, he was faced with a non-refundable honeymoon trip to Cancun. Thanking his lucky stars that he’d booked the trip during Thanksgiving week, Zayn and Liam were able to take off work and join him. 

The first day was miserable, being constantly reminded of why he’s here to begin with, but with time Louis has been trying to make an effort to enjoy himself. It’s an all-inclusive trip which means Louis can drink as much as he wants without being judged. He’d gone almost a full day without incident until the waiter didn’t get the memo that there is no Mr Grimshaw here.

“I’m fine,” he lies. It’s not like Zayn or Liam will believe him anyway. They’ve been looking after him like he’s going to hurt himself or something.

All in all, he’s grateful for their company. Louis doesn’t want to be alone in a time like this, as much as he tries to play it off. Thanks to his friends, Louis doesn’t have to deal with Nick and getting him his stuff back. They took care of it all, making sure he gets all his things out of the apartment while Louis is on their honeymoon.

Harry left for Japan just like he’d planned. Louis still wants nothing to do with him and he doesn’t know if Zayn and Liam are aware of their exchange. If they do, they haven’t said anything about it. Louis thinks it’s best that Harry is in a different country as far away from him as he could possibly be. Having Harry out of his life assures Louis that he won’t be around to ruin any more of his relationships. Not that he’s planning to be in a relationship any time soon.

Tonight is their last night in paradise, and Louis is scared of what’s waiting for him when he returns. He’s been trying to prepare himself to see his apartment without any trace of Nick. Maybe he can convince Liam and Zayn to let him stay at their place for a couple of nights. 

Louis isn’t ready to sleep alone just yet.

The flight back to Chicago is a blur, spending most of it buried in his hoodie with his airpods in. Louis doesn’t realize they’re home until he’s being nudged by Liam. Without even discussing it, they take an Uber straight to Zayn and Liam’s house, making Louis relax when the house comes to view.

“There’s towels in the linen closet and here’s an extra blanket. I know how cold you get and the guest room gets particularly chilly,” Zayn explains, handing Louis the fuzzy comforter.

“Thank you.”

With that, Louis is left to his own devices. He looks around the room, one he hasn’t slept in before. There’s a tree right outside the bedroom window that sways with the wind. Louis closes the curtains, wanting to get rid of every trace of light. He buries himself under the covers and closes his eyes, hoping tonight will be a dreamless night.

Louis wakes up to the sound of hushed voices. His bladder forces him to roll out of bed, but he freezes when he hears Harry’s name. 

“I’m glad you’re settling in okay over there,” Zayn says. “How’s the new job?”

Louis can’t hear what Harry tells him, and he honestly doesn’t care. He really has to pee but doesn’t want to interrupt the conversation taking place in the room next to him. God forbid Zayn asks Louis if he wants to speak to Harry or something just as ridiculous. Zayn’s voice fades as he walks down the hallway, and when Louis makes sure the coast is clear he finally leaves his room.

It takes nearly a week before Louis can manage to work up the courage to go back to his apartment for good. He never feels unwelcome with Liam and Zayn, in fact it often feels just like old times when they were roommates and always in each other’s pockets. However, Louis knows that he can’t live this way forever and the only way he can start the healing process is to rip off the bandaid and go back home.

“Are you sure? You know you can stay here as long as you need, right?” Liam asks when Louis tells them his plans.

“Yes I know that, Li. You have no idea how grateful I am for that and everything you guys have done for me but I think it’s time to start the process of moving on and I’ll never accomplish that if I continue to stay here.”

Liam reluctantly agrees and they help Louis call an Uber to take him home.

A shiver runs through his spine when Louis opens the door to his apartment. He immediately moves to turn up the heat to remedy that. When he opens his bedroom door, he closes his eyes at the familiar scent of his ex fiance. Louis’ throat tightens a little at that, but he clears it and gets to work on emptying the contents of his suitcase, preparing a load for laundry first thing in the morning.

He spends the entire weekend cleaning the apartment with every cleaning product he owns, wanting to get rid of any remnants of Nick. Louis rearranges his bedroom and living room, wanting something different so that he’s not picturing moments he and Nick shared in different parts of this apartment.

Louis forgoes celebrating his birthday this year, instead settling for a night in with his best friends. 

“Look at this video Harry sent me,” Niall tells their group after they eat dinner and are about to relax with a movie. He pulls out his phone and clicks play on a YouTube video.

Harry appears on the screen before Louis can even try to look away. He’s cut his hair short like he had it when they first met. Harry is sitting behind a desk with that dimpled grin of his giving the report about the news around the world. There are Japanese subtitles displayed at the bottom every time he speaks. Harry tells the news with charm in his own way, Louis gets a little lost in it. He’s signing off before Louis realizes it’s over.

“Wow, he’s really out there reporting the news in Japan,” Zayn says with some disbelief in his voice.

Louis can’t take talking about Harry any longer, so he excuses himself to the bathroom, hoping the conversation dies down by the time he returns. It’s like that for a while, where the guys talk about Harry, completely unaware of Louis’ issues with him. It confirms Louis’ suspicions that none of them know what happened that night and he doesn’t know if that’s a good thing or not.

The holidays come and go but to Louis, they just feel like ordinary days. He forgoes going out for any New Year celebrations the group proposes, continuing to insist that he’s fine but just needs some time to himself. 

Louis received a very generous Christmas bonus at work, including an additional one from the clients he designed the building for. In anticipation of it, Louis had been planning to use it to purchase a home with Nick, but now that those dreams are shattered, the money has been sitting in his bank account along with the rest of his savings.

In the midst of all this alone time Louis has been having, he stumbled upon an Instagram account that posts cheap old houses that are hard to sell on the market. A lot of people buy them and sometimes relocate to a different state or country because of how inexpensive these homes are. Louis likes to browse the account from time to time, seeing if any of the houses feel like they’re worth investing in to him, often just leading him to close the app when he’s unsuccessful

When Louis returns to work after the holidays, Simon calls for an urgent meeting. He announces that the firm’s latest project, which he doesn’t bother to acknowledge was led by Louis, has brought them more interested clients that want to work with them. In particular, a celebrity that wants to open their own restaurant and personally sought them out. 

Pride swells in Louis’ chest hearing that because it was his project that caught the attention of these new clients. He and Simon haven’t discussed where Louis stands now that he’s successfully spearheaded such an enormous project. Louis even got one of the clients’ personal contact information, insisting that if he ever needed anything to give him a call. 

Of course Simon hasn’t acknowledged Louis’ hard work and he has a feeling he probably never will.

“Okay, so it’s settled then. Thomas will take the lead and will set up a meeting with the client and we’ll go from there,” Simon announces with finality bringing the meeting to an end.

Louis sits, staring at his boss confused because he wasn’t assigned any sort of task.

“Uh, Simon?” Simon looks up from some paperwork he’s looking over, staring at him expectantly. “I didn’t get an assignment,” he points out, unsure.

Simon gives him a once over before going back to his paper, unimpressed. “I know. You won’t be needed for this project or the other one. I think we’ve got it covered.”

People have already left the conference room and Louis is grateful for it because he doesn’t want them around to witness the way Simon is talking to him like he’s the most unimportant person on this planet. It’s not that Louis was expecting to be treated like a king or anything, but he at least thought he’d be considered to be a part of more projects now that he’s proven he can do it.

Louis’ face turns hot with anger. He takes a deep breath, about to just leave without saying anything but then he’s heading towards the door and catches sight of Simon’s smug smirk and he’s at his wit’s end.

“Do you even consider me as part of your staff? I’ve been at this firm for almost five years and I’ve paid my dues. It seems that no matter what I do, I will never be good enough for you and I’m tired of trying to get you to notice me or my work. I deserve so much better and frankly, I’m done working for someone who not only takes true talent for granted, but has his head too far up his ass to notice his own mistakes.” Louis storms out of the room without another word and goes straight to his office to collect his things. With shaky hands, he gets the few items he had on his desk before emailing his resignation letter to Human Resources. 

Louis feels a weight lift off his shoulders when he walks out of the building. It’s definitely scary giving up his job like that with no plan, but it might be just the push he needs to find something better. And after five years of working for that asshole, something better is exactly what he deserves.

  
  
  
  


Louis stays in bed for the next few days. He may have felt loads better walking out after quitting his job, but everything hit him all at once when he got home. Louis has no job, no husband, and will most likely end up alone for the rest of his life. 

The boys have been taking turns in checking in on him, but they don’t come over thankfully. Louis assures them that he’s fine and just needs some time to himself to recharge and figure out what he’s going to do with his life. 

It’s halfway through the week that Louis manages to make it to the couch and only because the current season of Grey’s Anatomy is back on TV tonight. He’s in the middle of digging through is food pantry trying to figure out what he wants to eat for dinner when he hears a knock at his door.

Louis can’t help but let out an exasperated sigh, no doubt it’s one of the guys coming to check on him and he just doesn’t feel like dealing with that right now. However, when he looks through the peephole, he’s surprised to see it’s his mother on the other side of the door. He self consciously runs a hand through his hair and adjusts his hoodie before opening the door. 

“Hey sweetie,” Jay greets him, wrapping Louis in a hug. Louis sinks into it, basking in her warmth. Tears unexpectedly leak out of his eyes and he tries to hide it but he should know better than to try to hide anything from his mom. As soon as she hears him sniffle, she grabs his face in her hands and kisses his forehead, only making the tears worse. “Oh darling.”

They sit on the couch, Louis cradled in his mother’s arms until his breathing comes back to normal. Eventually he reluctantly pulls away and sits up, wiping at his face.

“Sorry about that,” he says.

“There’s no need to apologize for anything, love. It’s been a rough past couple of months and you’re allowed to feel whatever it is you feel.” She moves to set up the kettle in the kitchen without asking. Louis loves seeing his mom being familiar in his apartment. It’s like she’s brought a piece of home with her and it’s comforting somehow. 

Jay returns with two mugs of tea, setting them on the coffee table. 

“Liam told me you quit your job,” she begins, cradling her tea in her hands and blowing on the hot liquid.

Louis’ face colors in shame. He’s been trying to put up a front with his mom just like with everyone else, telling her he’s fine when he hasn’t been. Louis should've known that she was going to see right through it. 

“I’m sorr—” Jay puts her hand up to stop him.

“I’m not here to reprimand you honey.” She puts her mug down and pulls out an envelope from her purse before handing it to him.

Louis looks at it with confusion before unsealing it. There is a check with an insane amount of money, which only puzzles him even more.

“It was going to be your wedding gift. Your nan wanted to wait until your wedding day to give this to you, but with everything that happened, we both agreed that it’s best to give it to you now.” She gazes at him with those warm blue eyes of hers. Even with that explanation, Louis doesn’t understand.

Before he can formulate words, Jay grabs a hold of his hand and squeezes it. “We want you to follow your dreams, baby. Whatever that may be. I know you were so unhappy at your previous job and I’m not sure what your plans are now but I don’t want anything holding you back. You were meant for greatness, Louis Tomlinson, and I have no doubt you will achieve whatever you set your mind to.”

Louis hugs his mom, his throat tight. “Thanks, Mom.”

Jay kisses him on top of his head. “I’m always here for you. No matter what.”

His mom ends up staying most of the evening. She insists on cooking Louis dinner, claiming he’s probably only had takeout for weeks. Louis doesn’t correct her and instead enjoys her presence and her food as they watch some TV before she unfortunately has to leave.

After she’s gone, Louis can’t stop staring at the hefty check he’s been gifted. Louis was aware that his grandfather had left behind a small fortune, but it still doesn’t feel real. 

Louis starts thinking of many possibilities and what his next step is going to be. He ends up falling asleep with no solid plans set in stone just yet.

  
  
  


The seclusion ends and Louis joins his friends at Benny’s for a beer. They greet him warmly, with hugs and cheers.

“So what have I missed?”

Zayn shrugs. “Not much. Things have been kind of slow with the snow blizzards and below zero temperatures.”

“I have a new case that’s kicking my ass. Niall over here got to meet Beyonce. Harry’s taking over the Japan news world. Other than that, not much else to report,” Liam says.

Louis can’t help but flinch at the sound of Harry’s name. It’s still a sore spot for him and his friends are still clueless about the whole situation.

“What about you, Louis? What have you been up to?” Zayn changes the focus back to him.

“Still jobless, but I did inherit quite a bit of money so it should hold me out for a while until I figure shit out.”

That piques everyone’s interest.

Niall quirks his eyebrow. “How much money are we talking about here?”

Liam slaps Niall in the arm. “That’s rude.”

Niall raises his arms. “What? I’m just curious.”

Louis laughs, “I’m not going to tell you, but I do want to take you all out on a night on the town. My treat.”

“Actually, I was meaning to ask everyone if you’d be up to going to my parent’s lake house this weekend?” Liam asks.

“The lake house? In January?” Niall blanches.

“Yeah, in the winter, there’s ice skating at the lake and hills for tubing and stuff. Thought it would be a fun little getaway for everyone.”

Louis nods, “That’s not a bad idea actually.”

They load up Liam’s car and make the drive up north that weekend. Just as they’re getting off on the exit snow begins to fall, adding to the beautiful scenery around them. The house is cold when they arrive and they work quickly in warming it up, throwing some wood in the fireplace to get it going in the living room and turning up the heat. The food gets stored in its proper place and they heat up some milk for hot chocolate.

Everyone is too tired to do anything so they just settle in the main room with a movie, hot chocolate and popcorn. Louis ends up choosing a different bedroom than the one he used to stay with Harry this time around. He throws on some sweats, fleece socks and his favorite hoodie before going back to join the rest of the group. Niall is pacing back and forth in front of the fireplace while Liam and Zayn look on with confused looks on their faces.

“What’s going on?” Louis inquires finding a seat in the lazy boy.

Zayn shrugs. “That’s what we’re trying to figure out.”

Louis glances at Niall. “Ni, what’s wrong?”

Niall stops, facing them, weary. “Okay, okay. I have something to tell you guys but you have to promise not to be all ‘oh my God’ about it.” He runs a hand through his hair before taking a deep breath. Before he says anything else he shakes his head. “Wait hold on, I need Harry here for this too,” he says, pulling out his phone.

The phone rings until Harry’s face appears on the screen. Louis’ heart aches, so he looks away and instead focuses on Niall.

“Hey, what’s up?” Harry greets him. Niall moves the phone so that Harry sees that he’s not the only one in the room. Harry smiles. “Oh hey everyone.” Louis doesn’t look to see if Harry sees him.

Everyone greets Harry before Niall jumps back in. “Hey Haz, I hope I didn’t catch you at a bad time, but this is an emergency. Code red.”

At this, Louis looks back up with concern. “Code red? Niall, what is happening, just tell us.”

Niall hands Liam the phone. “Here, point Harry towards me. I need to be facing you guys when I tell you. Okay, so. I might have sort of slept with Shawn? And like he’s been acting all weird as if nothing happened except that’s definitely not how I’ve been. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about it, about  _ him,”  _ he rambles.

Louis turns to his friends who all have the same stunned look on their faces, including Harry.

Liam clears his throat. “Okay, so. When did all this happen?” His voice is tight like he’s trying to remain composed, but Louis is sure he’s losing it on the inside just like he is.

Niall sighs, “After Louis’ bachelor party. We went home together. I just… things have been so different with him from the beginning, from the moment I met him. I was confused and then I just went with it and let it happen and now he’s all I think about but he seems to not want anything to do with me.”

Louis never thought he’d see the day that Niall would fall for someone, let alone for another man. Pride swells in his chest for his friend, knowing how hard it must be for him to share all of this with them.

“What makes you think he doesn’t want anything to do with you?” Harry’s voice comes through the speaker.

Niall shrugs. “He never gave me his number and when I see him at the bar, he acts all nonchalant like we’ve never seen each other naked.”

“That doesn’t necessarily mean he wants nothing to do with you. He might not know you’re interested. I mean, you do have sort of a reputation of being a no strings attached type of ladies man. I’m sure he’s heard about that. Have you tried asking for his number? Asking him out?” Louis asks.

“I haven’t.” Niall shakes his head. “I’ve been too afraid after the way he’s been acting.”

“Well, ask him out for a drink and talk to him. You won’t be able to rest easy until you know how he feels,” Zayn encourages him.

Niall considers their advice before nodding, “Okay, yeah. Okay. Thank you.”

The room is silent for a few moments before one of them finally breaks.

“I never thought I’d see Niall Horan hung up on someone. Miracles do happen after all,” Zayn says before the rest of the group agrees. They tease Niall lightly while also telling him they’re proud of him and wish him all the best in his pursuits with Shawn.

“Where are you guys?” Harry asks after all the commotion has settled.

“At the lakehouse,” Liam tells him.

“In the winter?” Harry’s eyebrows wrinkle.

“There’s tubing and ice skating and stuff,” Liam continues to explain. 

Louis walks out of the room, not wanting the boys to notice that he and Harry still aren’t talking. He goes to the kitchen to get another mug of hot chocolate. When he turns to throw the empty wrappers away, he finds Zayn staring at him with his arms crossed.

“Shit, you scared me.” Louis clutches his chest.

Zayn shakes his head. “Don’t think I haven’t noticed you and Harry aren’t speaking. What happened between you two?”

Louis can’t look Zayn in the eye, instead he distracts himself by throwing marshmallows in his mug one at a time to waste time.

He shrugs, “I don’t really want to talk about it, Zee.”

Zayn doesn’t say anything for a while. Louis almost thinks he might have left but he looks up to find him there.

“Whatever it is, please Louis. Talk to him and clear the air. I don’t want to see you guys like this. He won’t tell me either, but I can see it’s affecting him too. Just… work it out.”

“It’s easier said than done, you know?” 

Zayn sighs, “Yeah, I know. But one of you is going to have to make the first move. My guess is it’s going to have to be you because I’ve seen the hurt in Harry’s eyes.”

Louis wants to ask more about that, but holds back. He ignores the guilt that is trying to make its way to the surface. “I just need more time.”

Zayn comes closer, placing his hand on Louis’ forearm and squeezing gently. “I love you both and I just want to see you happy.”

“Thanks Zee. I’ll talk to him, I will. Promise.” And Louis does mean it, he just doesn’t know when he’s going to work up the courage to reach out to Harry.

  
  
  
  


“So since Harry’s birthday is coming up, I want to send him a care package,” Zayn announces one evening when they’re all hanging out at Benny’s. 

“His birthday is tomorrow,” Louis points out.

“It’s the thought that counts. Plus, I’m sure he’ll love it even if it’s a little late. Anyway, I’m planning on sending it out this weekend so you all have until then to contribute anything you want,” Zayn explains.

The next morning, Louis goes to the store to figure out what to buy Harry. He still hasn’t talked to him and he has no idea what he could get him. Louis leaves the store with a five-pound bag of jelly beans and nothing else. When he gets to the apartment, he hangs his keys in the hook by the door and the light shines on his keychain.

Louis holds the metal bean in his fingers, memories of his birthday and Harry gifting him said keychain. He never took it off since that moment, but maybe it’s time for it to have a new owner. Louis takes it out of his keys and works on wrapping the candy and keychain in birthday wrapping paper, not wanting any of the guys to see what it is.

Later that afternoon, Louis sits on his couch with his laptop staring at a blank email. The cursor blinks, like it’s taunting him and after so long he groans and shuts the computer closed. Talking to Harry has never been this hard and now he can’t seem to find the words. He distracts himself for a bit by ordering dinner and watching some Netflix. It’s when he’s in the middle of an episode of One Tree Hill that he eyes his laptop again. Louis sighs and reaches for it, opening the email once again. He takes a sip of his glass of wine, needing all the help he can get before he starts typing.

To:  [ harrystyles94@gmail.com ](mailto:harrystyles94@gmail.com)

From:  [ louiswtommo@gmail.com ](mailto:louiswtommo@gmail.com)

Subject: Happy Birthday, I’m sorry.

Dear Harry,

Happy Birthday!

I’m sure I’m one of the last people you want to hear from right now, but I just want to say I’m sorry. I’m sorry for the awful things I said to you before you left for Japan. You didn’t deserve any of that and I didn’t mean it one bit. I’m the only one to blame for my failed relationships and I’m sorry it’s taken me this long to say it. 

I understand if you want nothing to do with me. I wouldn’t blame you at all. I hope all your dreams are coming true and the world is falling in love with you. In spite of everything, I wish nothing but happiness for you.

I know it’s probably not your birthday anymore in Japan, but I couldn’t let the day pass without reaching out to apologize. I’d love to hear from you, if you want to talk to me, that is, but again no pressure.

Take care,

Louis

Louis will never admit how many times he checks his email the days following Harry’s birthday. He considers sending another one to make sure Harry received the initial one, but thinks better of it. It’s most likely that Harry read it and just chose to not have anything to do with Louis, which he has every right to do.

“We have an announcement, sort of,” Liam says one evening. They’re all hanging out at his and Zayn’s house, having dinner that Liam made. Shawn has joined them as well and it looks like things with him and Niall have been cleared up if the way they’re holding hands is any indication. Louis has been meaning to ask for an update but also doesn’t want to seem like he’s prying.

Liam and Zayn share a glance before Zayn grins. “Liam and I have been looking for a surrogate so we can start a family.”

Everyone congratulates the happy couple, Louis hugs them and does his best not to know how sad he is. It’s not that he isn’t happy for his best friends, he truly is, but at this point in his life he was hoping to be in a similar path with his husband. But he isn’t and it’s just bringing back all the pain he’s been working on healing from.

Louis ends up excusing himself early from the gathering. Not only does he feel like a fifth wheel, but now there’s talks of babies and things that he just can’t sit through right now. He fakes a migraine and heads home, waiting until he’s in the four walls of his apartment to let out the pent-up emotions he’d been holding in. He lays in bed scrolling through his phone, almost tempted to go to Nick’s page, but early on he made the decision to block him on all social media anticipating moments like this. Louis wants to send him angry messages and ask him why he did this, why he broke them up. He holds off, instead scrolling through his favorite Instagram account that shows old beat-up houses for sale. A few catch his eye and he saves them so that he can come back to them when he’s in a better state of mind. That’s when his phone pings with a notification that he’s got a new email— from Harry.

From:  [ harrystyles94@gmail.com ](mailto:harrystyles94@gmail.com)

To:  [ louiswtommo@gmail.com ](mailto:louiswtommo@gmail.com)

Subject: re: Happy Birthday, I’m sorry.

Hi Lou,

I’m sorry it’s taken me this long to respond to your email. To be honest, it was a bit unexpected as I was sure you hated my guts. You have nothing to be sorry for. I understand you were in pain and going through a lot and I’d never blame you for that. Thank you for reaching out, I’m really happy to hear from you.

Japan is wonderful. The people and food are amazing and it’s like a whole different world over here. I’m enjoying my job a lot and I feel like I’m truly going places.

How have you been? I’ve been tempted to ask Zayn or Liam about you but wasn’t sure if I was allowed to. I want to know everything I’ve missed these past four months.

I miss Chicago so much, but not as much as I miss you guys. I’d give anything to have an evening at Benny’s with all of you again.

Anyway, before I turn this email into a massive novel, I’ll let you go. I really missed you, Louis. I hope you’re happy and well.

All the love,

Harry

Louis hits the reply button and tells Harry everything. About his job situation, the money his nan gave him, Zayn and Liam, he doesn’t hold anything back. He even tells Harry about how he’s feeling right now after hearing the news Liam and Zayn shared. It feels like taking a load off as he writes sentence after sentence, being honest about his feelings. It feels like he and Harry are picking up where they left off, as if they haven’t gone four months without speaking to one another.

Harry must have been free because he replies to Louis’ email pretty quickly. Louis ends up falling asleep mid sentence in response to Harry, the sadness he’d been feeling when he first got home vanished.

Louis isn’t sure how he and Harry go into the habit of messaging each other back and forth multiple times of day. It just kind of happened and before he realized he was refreshing his email every few minutes, hoping to hear back from Harry. Eventually the emails turn into phone calls. Louis can’t recall who initiated it, he just found himself with his phone glued to his ear listening to Harry talk about whatever crazy things were going on in Japan. 

Talking to Harry ends up being the highlights of Louis’ days. He hasn’t felt this comfortable talking to someone in a long time. Louis will never admit it to anyone, but rebuilding this friendship with Harry somehow helps Louis fully heal from his heartbreak. Thinking about Nick no longer makes his heart twinge like it once used to, and he doesn’t find himself wanting to check his social media anymore to see what he’s up to.

Eventually, Louis finds himself not thinking about Nick at all, and it somehow makes a calm wash over him at the realization.


	15. Chapter 15

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello again! here's an early Christmas present. Thank you for the lovely comments, you don't know how much they mean to me.
> 
> Enjoy!

**May 2022**

Louis has his hands full of grocery bags when his phone rings. He unlocks the door and sets the bags down, fetching his phone from his back pocket, displaying Harry’s face. It’s a FaceTime call so Louis answers it, letting his face come into full view.

Over time their phone calls have turned into random Facetime calls whenever Harry is available to talk. It’s been...nice

“Hi Lou,” Harry greets him, his dimpled smile taking up most of the screen.

“Hey Haz, what’s up?”

“Did I catch you at a bad time?” he asks, noticing Louis still catching his breath.

Louis blushes. “No, just got home with a buttload of groceries. Not in the best shape so I get out of breath easily,” he says, running a hand through his hair. He’s been letting it grow and has also maintained a beard since he grew one after the break up with Nick. Louis likes it, and Harry has complimented him on it as well, not that that has anything to do with why he continues to keep it that way or anything.

“Oh okay. I have some great news and wanted to tell you first!” Harry tells him.

Louis sits on the couch in anticipation. “Oh yeah? What is it then?”

“So like a month ago I applied for the lead anchor position for this cable news channel in Chicago, right? I got called for an interview and we did it via video conference. It was pretty intense actually, I was in front of this huge panel of people. Anyway, I didn’t tell anyone because I didn’t want to get my hopes up, but guess what?” Harry’s face is so bright, Louis almost needs to look away.

Hope swells in Louis’ chest, having an idea of where this is going. He can’t help but mirror Harry’s grin.

“Don’t tell me…”

“I just got a call from the producer offering me the position! I’m coming back to Chicago!” Harry shouts.

“Oh my God! That’s great Haz!” Louis jumps from his seat, too excited to be sitting down any longer. “When do you start?”

“We’re still working out the details, but I’m gonna give my notice at work here. There’s so much I need to do, like find an apartment in Chicago again. It was such a pain in the arse last time, I can only imagine it will be just as hard or maybe even more difficult than before,” Harry continues.

“You can move in with me,” Louis blurts out. His eyes widen when he realizes what he just said and Harry pauses as well, staring at him in disbelief.

“What?”

Louis clears his throat. “I mean. I have an extra room. I’m still unemployed and could use the rent money. At least until you find something more solid once you’re here.”

Harry still seems nervous, reluctant. “Are you sure? I wouldn’t want to impose…”

“Impose what? Seriously, it’s fine. I’ll even let you split the bills and groceries if that makes you feel better,” Louis offers.

Harry’s uncertain face turns back into the dimpled grin he had before, “Thanks, Louis. I’d love that.”

Louis shrugs. “What are friends for?”

  
  
  


Louis finds the perfect house when he’s scrolling through his favorite Instagram account in the middle of the night when he can’t sleep. It needs an extensive amount of work done, but there’s something about the wrap around porch and the chair swing in the front that makes him picture his future family in it. He ends up scheduling a showing with a realtor, and seeing it in person makes him fall in love with it even more.

There is a fireplace in the massive family room where Louis sees winter nights huddled by the fire next to their giant Christmas tree, roasting marshmallows. There is one bedroom downstairs and three upstairs and the veranda is big enough for hosting brunches with his closest friends. The dining room is big enough to fit his entire family and then some.

“As you can see, there’s a lot of work that needs to be done, which is why the price is so cheap,” the realtor explains after she finishes showing Louis around.

“I can work with that,” Louis says.

After spending some time getting inspections done, negotiating the price, and filling out some paperwork, Louis becomes a homeowner just like that. He doesn’t tell anyone about it, doesn’t want to until he’s refurbished it into his dream home. It’s going to take time, but Louis is excited about his new little project already thinking of ideas for different parts of the home.

On his way back to the apartment, Louis gets a call from a number he doesn’t recognize. He lets it go to voicemail and continues on his trip home. Harry has given his notice at his job in Japan and is set to begin the new job in the summer. Louis has been working on making sure the extra room is ready. Throughout the months it’s been unoccupied, he’s been using it as a sort of storage room so now he’s figuring out what goes in the trash and what gets put away somewhere else. His ultimate plan is to have it furnished with the basics, knowing Harry won’t have those things when he returns.

Harry told the rest of the group the news over FaceTime in front of Louis and he didn’t miss Zayn’s concerned look, but he ignored it. He hasn’t said anything to Louis in private which he’s grateful for.

The mystery caller ended up leaving a voicemail so Louis puts in on speaker while he moves some things around the apartment.

_ “Hey Louis, this is Steve Aoki. We met when you designed a building for our company. I heard you quit your position with Simon and I wanted to follow up with you and see what you were up to. I have a great opportunity for you, if you’re interested, give me a call and we can talk. Hope to hear from you, goodbye.” _

Louis remembers Steve, he actually still has his business card saved in his wallet. He calls him as soon as he gets a chance, curious to know what Steve was talking about in his message.

“Louis hey, glad you called, how are you?”

“Hey, Steve. I’m good, how can I help you?”

“Why don’t we meet up for lunch so we can talk and catch up a bit?” Steve suggests.

“Sounds great.”

Louis meets Steve at a cafe not far from the apartment the following day. Steve is already there waiting with a warm smile, and he stands to shake Louis’ hand and pat him on the shoulder.

“Good to see you,” Steve says as a greeting.

They order a sandwich before they get down to business.

“So we heard you quit Simon’s firm. I was happy to hear that because I think you’re way above Simon Cowell,” Steve says. “What have you been up to?”

Louis takes a sip of his water. “I haven’t decided yet what I want to do, to be honest. I know I want to remain in the architecture field, but I don’t want to end up in the same predicament as I was before.”

Steve takes a bite of his sandwich considering Louis’ answer and he nods. 

“Have you considered teaching architecture at a college level?” he asks.

Louis hasn’t considered that option. He shakes his head.

“I have a good friend at the University of Illinois in Chicago who’s the department chair of the School of Architecture. They’re looking for an associate professor for the Fall Semester since their previous one gave their notice a few weeks ago. You came to mind as soon as he told me about it,” Steve explains.

“Wow Steve, I’m flattered that you’d think of me,” Louis says.

Steve smiles. “Why don’t we set up a meeting with my friend. No pressure at all, just so you can get a feel for it and see if that’s something you’d want to do?”

“I’m definitely open to doing that,” Louis tells him. He has nothing to lose by accepting this meeting and he’s grateful to Steve for even coming to him with this.

With the business part of their lunch done, Steve promising to send Louis the information after confirming with his friend, they finish their meal chatting like old friends. Once he’s left the restaurant and has a chance to think by himself, Louis realizes he’s looking forward to this. 

  
  
  


Louis enjoys driving after midnight in the middle of Chicago summer. It’s the only time the highways aren’t filled with traffic, making Louis’ commute to O’Hare airport a smooth one. He finds the appropriate terminal and parks his car in the lot. His stomach fills with butterflies in anticipation the closer he gets to the gate. Harry’s flight is on time and set to land in less than fifteen minutes.

Louis had offered to pick Harry up since they are going to be roommates anyway. Everything at the apartment is set up for his arrival. Louis got Harry’s new bed delivered just this morning. He can’t help but pace back and forth. It’s been nearly nine months since they’ve seen each other and it wasn’t in good terms back then. Louis knows they’re past that now, but it still makes him nervous for some reason.

When he sees the arrivals screen that Harry’s flight has landed, Louis’ heart rate speeds up. After another long moment, people from the flight begin to trickle out, greeting their loved ones. Louis wonders what his and Harry’s first encounter will be like if it will be awkward or familiar like Harry never left.

He catches sight of a familiar wisp of hair before Harry’s face comes into view. His eyes are searching for Louis and he can’t help the grin that appears on his face. Louis walks toward Harry and that’s when he notices him. Harry’s face lights up and he runs toward Louis, arms spread open ready to embrace him. They crash into each other and Louis burrows his face in Harry’s chest, the familiar lavender scent hitting his nose. Harry’s arms are warm, his hands come up to caress Louis’ hair.

“Hey,” Harry whispers into his ear.

“Hi,” Louis responds, still not planning to let go of Harry any time soon. 

Neither of them is aware of how long they’re holding each other but Louis reluctantly pulls away to meet Harry’s gaze. He’s smiling so wide, like he can’t believe Louis is really here in front of him.

“Come on, let’s go get your luggage,” Louis says, offering his arm to Harry. Harry’s smile broadens and he happily slides his arm through Louis’ as he leads the way to baggage claim. 

Louis feels Harry’s eyes on him, but he pretends not to notice it. Instead, he watches the baggage carousel willing it to come to life so they can get on their way.

“How was the traffic on your way here?” Harry’s voice breaks the silence between them.

Louis moves to run a hand through his long hair, forgetting he’s put a headband on to keep it in some order. He adjusts it back in place, clearing his throat. 

“It was fine, not bad at all,” he says. That’s when the carousel begins to move so they walk closer to it to eye Harry’s belongings. 

They gather all of Harry’s four suitcases before they each grab a pair and head toward the parking garage. 

“I hope these fit in your car,” Harry comments as they get in the elevator.

“Don’t worry, we’ll make them fit if we have to,” Louis assures him. He’s got a small Honda Civic, but he made sure to clear it up for Harry’s things. 

The bags barely end up fitting. They have to put the suitcases in the backseat and the ones in the trunk don’t close at first. Harry helps in adjusting them just right to let the trunk finally close shut.

“Thanks,” Louis tells him as he heads towards the driver’s side. 

“I should be the one thanking you for going through all this trouble,” Harry tells him reverently. It sounds almost too serious, so Louis moves to turn up the radio.

“Ooh I love this song,” Harry says, turning up the volume as the latest Halsey song fills the car.

The drive is smooth, and they get to the apartment without any incident. When they get out of the car, Harry moves to go to the trunk, but Louis raises his hand to stop him.

“We’ll take care of those later, come,” Louis says, taking Harry’s hand to pull him along. He ignores how warm Harry’s hand is and focuses on heading in the direction of the familiar bar that has become a second home to Louis and his friends. 

“Isn’t Benny’s closed by now? It’s past 2 am,” Harry mentions as they approach the familiar door.

Louis looks over to Harry with a smug smile. “I might have pulled a few strings to let you have a proper welcoming,” he admits.

When they walk through the entrance, Louis wishes he could photograph Harry’s reaction when he sees Liam, Zayn, and Niall with beers on the table waiting for them. As soon as they notice them, they jump out of their seats from their booth with cheers to greet Harry.

Harry hugs each one of them for a couple of minutes at a time, mumbling things to the guys in their ears, telling them how happy he is to be back in the city.

“How was your flight?” Liam asks once they’ve finally settled back in their booth. The bar is empty except for them, it feels nice.

“It was extremely long but so worth it to be back here with you guys,” Harry says earnestly. He goes on to tell them all about his trip and how he was seated next to an elderly couple who were celebrating their thirtieth anniversary. “They were so happy. It gave me something to look forward to with my future husband,” he says as an afterthought. 

Louis doesn’t compute what Harry says until they’re way past that subject and the conversation has moved on to something else. He glances at Harry who is still happily recounting today’s events as if he didn’t just say what he did. Louis chugs the rest of the beer from his bottle before excusing himself to get another one.

It can’t be… can it? Louis doesn’t even let himself go there, knowing he’s been burned before and isn’t going to risk doing it again.

After a couple more beers, they all decide to call it a night since it is a work night for those of them who have jobs, after all. Harry and Louis hug everyone goodnight before he makes sure everything is in order and locks up. They head back to his car to get Harry’s suitcases, lugging them up three flights of stairs.

By the time they get to the apartment, Louis’ got a sheen of sweat on his forehead, evidence of Louis’ lack of employment and activity the past few months. He wipes it off with his forearm, leading Harry to his new bedroom. 

“Here you go,” Louis tells him, setting the bags to the side. He’d haphazardly made the bed with the first sheets and comforter he could find since he was in a hurry today trying to get everything in order.

“You didn’t have to go through all this trouble,” Harry says, eyeing the bed.

Louis shrugs, “It’s really not a problem. Please, this is your home now too, okay?”

Harry gazes at Louis, eyes tired from the long day he’s obviously had. He smiles softly, his dimples making an appearance. “Thanks, Lou. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

Before Louis can respond to that Harry is already enveloping him in a hug. Louis’ face feels warm, a combination of the summer air and Harry’s body.

“Anytime, Haz,” Louis murmurs in Harry’s shoulder. 

They bid each other goodnight, Louis leaving to his own room wondering how it’s going to be having Harry as a roommate.

  
  
  


In the morning Louis forgets he has a new roommate for a few seconds before the scent of bacon hits his nostrils. His stomach growls and he rolls out of bed, needing to empty his bladder. Harry is in the kitchen, his back to Louis with an apron on, flipping french toast over while he dances to the beat of whatever song is playing off his phone. It’s a lovely sight to see if Louis is honest. For a moment it reminds him of mornings like this when he and Harry were happy and in love, but he quickly shakes those thoughts away and instead savors the moment of his best friend here in his kitchen. Never did he think he’d get to have a moment like this again after fucking things up with Harry. 

Louis is so grateful to have him back.

“Good morning,” Louis says, finally letting his presence be known. It’s comical the way Harry jumps, freezes then turns around slowly with a sheepish look on his face, like he’s been caught doing something he shouldn’t be doing.

“Good morning, Lou. I’m making breakfast, I hope that’s okay?” Harry says, sounding unsure.

Louis crosses his arms and looks at Harry pointedly. “Harry what did I say about this being your home? Plus you’re doing me a huge favor. I’ve been living mostly off takeout.”

Harry’s eyes go wide, looking appalled. “Well then, I’m glad I’m here to make sure that doesn’t keep happening,” he says turning around to resume what he was doing.

Louis moves to prepare a pot of coffee but notices that it’s already hot. Bless Harry, honestly. He pours himself a mug, savoring the taste. It’s already starting to be a good morning and Louis is hopeful about the rest of the day.

Today he’s scheduled to meet with Steve and his friend from UIC to discuss the Associate Professor position and see if it’s going to be a good fit for Louis. Louis feels good about it. If Steve’s friend is anything like Steve, he thinks everything will work out.

Louis helps Harry set up before they sit down as roommates to eat. It feels nice and not awkward at all like Louis was nervous it might be.

“What are your plans for today?” Louis asks Harry before taking a bite of his French toast. It’s so crispy and delicious he has to keep himself from moaning. Instead, he drowns it out with a sip of coffee waiting for Harry to answer.

“I’m going to meet with my new boss so they can show me around the station and we can discuss my start date and stuff. I’ve also got lots of unpacking to do, but that’s basically it,” Harry explains. “What about you?”

Louis told Harry when he was still in Japan all about his meeting with Steve and this new career opportunity. Harry has expressed his excitement, telling Louis that he’d be a great professor.

“I’m meeting with Steve and his friend from university today. I’m nervous, but excited at the same time,” he admits.

“You’re going to smash it, I just know it,” Harry says. “I think you might have unknowingly found your calling.”

Louis takes in Harry’s words and he sounds so sincere he almost believes them himself. Sometimes Louis feels that Harry has more faith in him than he has in himself, but he doesn’t say that out loud. Instead, Louis just smiles and continues to enjoy the rest of his breakfast. 

The meeting with Steve and Ted, the department chair of the Architecture Department, goes amazingly well. Louis and Ted hit it off right away, talking about their work and Louis’ experience in the field. At one point Louis forgets all about Steve’s presence, getting lost in their own little architectural world, but Steve seems more delighted than anything. Ted gives Louis a tour of the university and the auditorium he would be teaching in if he accepted the job. Instead of feeling nervous or intimidated by the size of it, Louis feels a buzz beneath his skin. By the end of the meeting, Louis is gladly accepting the position, setting up a follow up with Ted to discuss the details of his contract.

Louis and Steve have lunch afterward to debrief. Louis is still floating by the time he meets the group at Benny’s, unable to contain his excitement any longer. He orders a round of drinks for the group before announcing that he’ll be the new Associate Professor at the University of Illinois in Chicago.

A round of congratulations and hugs come from his friends, and Louis doesn’t miss the proud grin on Harry’s face. 

“Anyway enough about me, how’s everyone else’s day been?”

Harry talks about his new job and how his first official day is only a week away. They drink to that and the many other things happening in everyone’s lives. For the first time in a long time, Louis feels genuinely happy for himself and his friends as well.

  
  
  


Louis knocks on the door, panting. He’d rushed over here in the rush hour traffic trying to make sure to make it on time. Zayn answers the door, relieved when he sees Louis.

“You made it just in time, come in,” he tells Louis. He follows Zayn into the living room where Niall, Shawn, and Liam have already made themselves comfortable.

Louis waves briefly at everyone before the voice on the screen introduces the anchors of the new show. Harry is the second to last to be introduced. He looks good, his hair styled perfectly in a quiff. His grin is wide as he stares at the camera in his own charming way.

They’d all promised they would have a watching party to see their friend live in action. Liam and Zayn even ordered a cake for the event to congratulate Harry. They watch attentively as the show continues with the day’s events.

“Watching the news is pretty depressing,” Niall comments during one of the commercial breaks.

“Yeah, it is,” Zayn says, “But we’re being supportive friends.”

The show is only thirty minutes, so after it’s over they put a movie on Netflix waiting for Harry to arrive. Louis had offered to pick him up, but Harry had insisted on taking an Uber, not wanting Louis to miss any of the show. It was cute.

Harry makes it an hour later, so Liam brings out the cake. It has Harry’s face on it from when he used to be a reporter in Japan and it says “Congratulations Harry.” Harry lights up when he sees it, clapping his hands excitedly and offering to cut the cake.

They all eat cake and ice cream while watching a movie Niall chooses. It’s comfortable, nice. It’s been too long since they’ve all been together in one room and it’s like they’ve never been apart.

“So what did you guys think?” Harry asks once they’re all sated from the food.

“You did great Haz, plus the camera loves you,” Louis says without thinking. He chuckles nervously, but Harry preens at the compliment. Liam is next to jump in and point out Harry’s strengths as a news anchor before Louis can overthink too much about what he just said.

Louis offers to take people’s plates to the kitchen to distract himself for a few minutes. He takes the dishes to the sink and rinses them before loading them in the washer.

“Louis, I’m glad to finally have you alone,” Zayn says behind him.

Louis startles a little, but recovers. “What’s up?” He internally freaks out for a moment thinking Zayn is going to point out Louis’ comment about Harry.

“I’m planning a surprise birthday party for Liam next month and I need your help getting things in order,” Zayn explains.

Louis’ shoulders relax and he nods. “Yes, of course. Anything you need.”

  
  
  


Louis spends the next month busy preparing for the first day of classes. He’s been going to the university to make sure everything is in order. When classes begin, Louis is a nervous mess. He ends up in the wrong classroom, much to his embarrassment. The day looks up after that though, and Louis ends up having a successful first day of work.

Amid all the start of school year chaos, Louis squeezes in some time to help Zayn get stuff for Liam’s party. Harry and Niall have also been lending a hand, and things are all set for the big day.

The day of, Louis is tasked with taking Liam out, so he comes up with an excuse of needing help picking out a cool new wardrobe for his new job. They go to the mall where Louis takes his time trying on different outfits and asking for Liam’s opinion on them. Liam seems bored around the third store, and Louis sends a text Zayn to check on the status. He gets the okay to start heading over to the house, so Louis settles on a few outfits and pays for everything.

If Liam seems suspicious, he’s not showing it. Liam has always been oblivious about everything happening around him so throwing him a surprise party has never been hard to do. When they arrive at Liam and Zayn’s house, there are a few more cars on the street than normal, but again Liam gives nothing away that he knows something's up.

Louis turns off the car and gets out. “I’m gonna say hi to Zayn,” he explains as they make their way to the door. He allows Liam to use his key to unlock the front door so he can be the first to enter.

Sure enough, a roar of “Surprise!” meets him, making Liam startle. Louis places his hands on Liam’s shoulders grinning at his best friend. He kisses him on the cheek.

“Happy Birthday, buddy.”

Zayn is also grinning from ear to ear, with open arms letting Liam fall into them. He murmurs something in his ear, making Liam laugh. Everyone else takes a turn at greeting the birthday boy, so Louis makes his way to the kitchen for a drink, finding Harry instead.

“Hey,” Louis waves before getting a hold of a Corona.

“Hey,” Harry says taking a sip of his own bottle.

Louis goes around the house to greet people. Music begins to fill the house, officially kicking off the party. There is a DJ and dance floor outside as well as a buffet table set up for people to grab something to eat. People can sit both inside and outside, wherever they’d prefer. There’s a table with a 3-tier cake and presents set up in the dining room table. It’s Liam’s 30th birthday, so Zayn put out all the stops to make sure his husband is celebrated properly.

There is a man that catches Louis’ eye. He’d seen him when he first came in but didn’t think too much of it. He’s caught him staring several times now, though, and he doesn’t know what to think. The guy is cute, gorgeous even with hazel eyes and light brown hair. Louis finds him in the kitchen when he goes to get another drink. The guy smiles bashfully, watching Louis open the top of his beer and taking a swig of it.

“Sorry, I’m staring,” the guy chuckles nervously. He extends his hand. “I’m Anthony. I work with Liam at the firm,” he says even though it doesn’t explain why he keeps staring at Louis like he’s a gourmet meal.

“I’m Louis. Nice to meet you,” Louis says. “Liam’s best friend.”

“I know,” Anthony says. “I’ve seen you at the office sometimes when you come to visit Liam.”

Louis nods. “Oh, okay. Sorry I’ve never seen you around.”

“It’s okay,” Anthony waves him off. “You’ve seen me now. That’s all that matters,” he says, smirking.

Louis takes a sip of his beer, noticing the way Anthony’s eyes watch him with thirst. It makes heat travel throughout Louis’ body, being wanted like this. It’s been ages.

Louis and Anthony spend most of the evening talking and getting to know each other. Turns out Anthony has been Liam’s paralegal for the past three years. A part of Louis feels bad for not having noticed him sooner.

“Excuse me, if I can get everyone’s attention,” Zayn’s voice breaks through the speakers. The music has stopped and Zayn is holding a microphone with a gift bag in his hand. “Liam, can you come here please?”

Liam approaches the front with Zayn, confusion in his eyes.

“I want to give Liam his birthday gift in front of everyone tonight,” Zayn hands Liam the gift bag.

Liam reaches into the bag, pulling out a shirt. When he unfolds it, only Liam and Zayn can see what it says. Liam gasps, his eyes filling with tears and staring at Zayn who nods excitedly. Liam turns the shirt over to finally show everyone else. The words “World’s Greatest Dad” printed in big block letters, leaving no doubt to anyone what it says.

“Liam and I found a surrogate a few months back. I recently found out that she’s expecting,” Zayn explains, voice shaking.

Liam and Zayn hug each other while everyone else claps and awws at the news. Louis can’t help the tear that trails down his cheek, feeling nothing but happiness for his friends. He remembers not long ago how bitter he felt at their news. Those feelings are now long gone and now he can’t wait for the bundle of joy that will soon be the center of the group’s attention. Louis hugs his best friends to congratulate them, their faces filled with so much joy it’s contagious. 

Louis finds his way back to Anthony at some point after they cut the cake.

“You know, I’ve always been nervous to talk to you,” Anthony admits, his cheeks flushing.

“Really? Why?”

Anthony shrugs. “You’re so gorgeous and I just never felt worthy to talk to you. I don’t know,” he says.

Now it’s Louis’ turn to blush at the compliment. 

  
  
  


Louis’ not sure how he got here, but he’s being pushed against his front door, lips messily kissing his own. He’s panting hard, surrounded by nothing but this really cute guy he just met. It’s thrilling in a way and all the blood rushes to his cock.

He doesn’t know how, but he manages to unlock his door and make it to his bedroom without much trouble. When they close the door, he’s being pushed again, making his cock twitch at the way he’s being manhandled.

Louis puts his hand up to stop Anthony for a moment.

“Wait, wait,” Louis breathes.

Anthony’s eyes are black with want, and he’s just as desperate as Louis. He waits for Louis to say what he needs to say, ready to pounce again as soon as Louis permits him.

“I just need you to know… I’m not looking for anything serious,” he says. “I can’t...I can’t give you more than sex.”

At that, Anthony smirks before leaning in to lick into Louis’ mouth, kissing him filthily before pulling back to assure him in a husky voice, “That’s more than okay with me.”

And with that, Louis lets Anthony take whatever he wants, lets himself give in to desire and want without worry about what will happen in the morning.

  
  
  


Louis is the first to wake up the following morning. It’s the ache in his ass that makes him flutter his eyes open. He sees Anthony still fast asleep. Anthony and the bruises Louis left all down his torso. Louis would be embarrassed, he really would, but he’s too sexually satisfied to care.

He groans a little when he attempts to roll over into a sitting position, but recovers quickly. There’s a soft knock on his door and before Louis can say anything, Harry is opening it and peeking in.

“Louis where did you go last night?” Louis’ eyes widen and Harry’s do as well as soon as he sees Anthony still sound asleep. “Oh, shit...I’m sorry!” Harry whisper shouts before shutting the door again.

That’s when Anthony finally stirs, his eyes slowly opening and meeting Louis.’ He smiles sleepily before stretching his arms above his head.

“Good morning,” Anthony mumbles.

“Morning,” Louis says, putting on a pair of sweats.

“Sleep well?” Anthony asks as he gets up to put on his clothes.

“I did. You?” The conversation feels a bit awkward, like the type of small talk you make with an acquaintance you’ll probably never see again, which Louis supposes this is what it is since he has no plans to see Anthony again after this.

Once Anthony is fully dressed, he hands Louis a card. 

“Here’s my number. Call me if you ever want to do this again,” Anthony says with a wink before making his way out of the bedroom.

Louis doesn’t plan on using the number, but he sets the card on his nightstand anyway.

When he steps out of the bedroom, Harry is on the couch with a mug of something in his hands staring at the TV. He looks at Louis when he sees him come out, a knowing look on his face.

“Who was that?” Harry asks, raising a brow.

“Anthony. Liam’s paralegal,” Louis says, falling next to Harry. He whines at the pain in his ass.

That only makes Harry quirk his eyebrows even more.

“Shut up,” Louis groans.

“I didn’t say anything,” Harry says, setting his mug on the coffee table.

Louis lets out a long sigh. “That was the first person I’ve slept with since Nick. It was weird at first. I felt like I was cheating on him, you know? But then… I just let go and it was...good."

Harry stares at him, amused.

“What?” Louis asks, exasperated.

“Since when did you become a cheetah with all those spots?” Harry teases, eyeing his torso.

Louis looks down at his bare chest and sure enough, it looks like Anthony was also very into marking up just as much.

“Oh, God.”

Harry cackles, before standing from the couch to stretch.

“How about I make us some pancakes then you can tell me how big Anthony’s dick is?”

“Pancakes sound amazing, thank you.” Louis ignores the rest of Harry’s question, having no interest in discussing anything else about Anthony.

As much fun as last night was, he’s ready to put it behind him.

“So are you gonna see him again?” Harry asks once they’re sat eating their pancakes.

Louis shakes his head. “No, I don’t think so. Sleeping with Anthony only made it clear to me that I’m nowhere near ready to be in a relationship. The sex though, I won’t say no to.”

Harry laughs, “Sex is pretty damn good.”

They spend the rest of the morning enjoying breakfast as Harry talks about some of the random hookups he had in Japan. It’s not as uncomfortable as Louis thought it would be, quite the opposite. Louis never expected he and Harry would get to this point. 


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! Sorry it's taken so long to update. Life has been ridiculous. I have to thank the fact that I've been on quarantine for the past week and a half on being able to finally finish this update. I have another week to go before I can go back to work, so here's to hoping I can update at least another chapter.
> 
> I promise that I will finish this fic. It's all planned and outlined I just need to find the time and motivation. Thankfully I've got those things right now, let's hope they don't run out yet.
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!

**September 2022**

The tryst with Anthony opens Pandora’s box to Louis’ sex life. Louis finds a newfound confidence in himself, giving him the courage and desire to pick men up with little effort and take them to bed whenever he wants. 

It starts slowly at first with Niall’s birthday celebration. They all go mini-golfing before having dinner at a Japanese restaurant downtown. After dinner, Niall offers to keep the party going by visiting a nearby club. Liam and Zayn bail out, claiming they’re exhausted.

“God, you guys are already acting like parents and the baby isn’t even born yet,” Niall groans. Zayn rolls his eyes before they call an Uber and head home. 

They get VIP admission into ZaZa’s thanks to the fact that Niall seems to know everyone in the city. The birthday boy gets honored with a free bottle of Scotch and they dance the rest of the night away. Shawn and Niall only have eyes for each other, practically humping somewhere in a back corner. Louis cringes and moves to the main dance floor with Harry. They dance for a couple of songs before they decide to head to the bar for a refill. 

That’s where Louis meets Daniel. Daniel is tall, dark, and so fucking hot. He turns to Louis with a hot smoldering gaze that makes him let out a small gasp. Louis glances at Harry whose eyes go wide before he winks and leaves.

Daniel offers to buy Louis a drink and they make small talk for a while. As the night progresses, Louis knows he isn’t interested in pursuing anything past tonight and that’s when he makes a decision.

He places his hand on Daniel’s forearm as he’s in the middle of talking about what he does for a living. Louis isn’t paying much attention, being too distracted by Daniel’s honey brown eyes and full lips.

“Hey, you wanna get out of here?” Louis bites the bullet. He has nothing to lose. The worst that can happen is he can get rejected and Louis can move on and find his friends to continue dancing. 

Daniel smirks, flashing his pearly white teeth, “I’d love that.”

Sex with Daniel is rough and dirty, animalistic. Louis claws onto his back as he gets fucked against his bedroom wall, both too desperate to even bother making it to the bed. Daniel’s got a mouth on him like no other. He’s not afraid to say the filthiest things into Louis’ ear. It’s what makes him come faster than he anticipated, but it doesn’t hold them back, just gives them time for multiple orgasms instead. 

The following morning, Louis rolls over to find the spot next to him empty. He squints, lifting his head to see any signs of Daniel or his clothes. There’s none. He sighs and lays his head back down grateful that Daniel was on the same page and saved Louis from having to have the awkward post-coital conversation. 

Louis is unable to fall back asleep so he bounds to the kitchen to make some coffee instead. He’s too lazy to look for his sweats, so he just throws on a pair of boxers. 

He finds Harry in the kitchen yawning, mouth wide, while he pours himself some coffee into his favorite mug. (It’s white and has doodles of penises all over it.)

“Good morning,” Louis rasps. Shit, he barely has any voice. He opens the refrigerator door to hide the embarrassed blush he knows is showing on his face.

Harry hasn’t said anything and Louis isn’t sure if he heard him so when he closes the fridge he glances over at his roommate who’s sipping on his coffee. He yawns again after he cradles his mug in his hands.

“Did you party all night?” Louis asks, taking the coffee pot.

“Not really. Left not much longer after you did,” Harry tells him as he’s walking out of the kitchen and plopping on the sofa. He doesn’t look at Louis and he kind of seems annoyed that Louis is talking to him.

Or maybe Louis is just imagining things and Daniel fucked some brain cells out of him. Then it hits him.

Louis’ eyes go wide and he slaps his hand against his forehead as he makes his way to sit next to Harry.

“Oh my God, Haz. I’m so sorry. I didn’t think you’d be home until after Daniel and I were...you know...done.”

Harry shrugs his shoulder. “Don’t worry about it. I’m a light sleeper so it was just a rough night. Not in the same way that it was for you though,” he smirks knowingly, his eyes meeting Louis’ for a second before looking away.

Louis blushes again. “Fuck. I feel like such a shit head.”

Harry waves him off, “Really, don’t worry. We’ll just have to let each other know when we’re bringing someone over. That way, if you’ve got a hookup at the apartment I can maybe crash at Liam and Zayn’s or something.”

“You shouldn’t have to do that just so I can get laid. I’ll just be more considerate and maybe go to the guy’s place next time or something,” Louis offers.

Harry doesn’t say anything in response, just takes another sip of his coffee while staring at whatever is on the TV screen.

Louis sets his mug on the coffee table and stands, slapping his thighs in the process. “Let me make you breakfast as an apology.”

Harry smiles, “Well I won’t say no to food I don’t have to make.”

  
  
  


Louis meets Niall for lunch in between classes. It’s been a long time since it’s just been them alone, way before he started anything with Shawn. They used to make it a monthly ritual but their lives have been so busy their schedules never coincided.

“Hey, buddy!” Niall greets him when he walks through the restaurant doors. It’s a small little fast food place that serves the best Italian beef sandwiches in the city, plus it’s close to Louis’ job.

“Hey Nialler.” They order their food and find a place to sit on one of the empty picnic tables outside. The weather is perfect and Louis wants to take advantage of it before winter starts to rear its ugly head. 

They catch up on the mundane things first. Niall tells Louis about work and the different artists he’s had come up to the studio recently. Louis talks about his students and how much he’s been enjoying teaching. 

“How’s it been having Harry as a roommate?” Niall asks him before taking a sip of his Coke. 

Louis chews on his sandwich and shrugs, “It’s been great. You know, I thought it might be kind of awkward since he’s my ex, but it’s been good.”

“Yeah? So you two aren’t fucking or anything?” Niall asks nonchalantly.

Louis squawks, “What? No!”

“Are you sure?” Niall quirks his eyebrow, looking at Louis suspiciously.

“Am I sure I’m not fucking Harry? Yeah I think I’d be sure of something like that.”

Niall giggles, “I don’t know I’m just saying. You two are exes and you’re living together. I figured the sexual tension is probably insane.”

Louis thinks about Niall’s words. It hasn’t been particularly sexually charged between him and Harry and he doesn’t fault Niall for thinking they might be sleeping together. Louis isn’t going to completely lie to himself, he will always find Harry attractive, but beyond that nothing’s really stirred inside of him. Harry hasn’t shown anything either, at least not that Louis has noticed.

“There hasn’t really been any sort of tension to be honest. I get what you’re saying and if any of you guys were in this situation I’d probably think the same thing,” Louis tells him.

“Yeah, well. I always felt like you two had some sort of, I don’t know,” Niall shrugs and waves his hand around, “unfinished business.”

Louis snorts. “There wasn’t any unfinished business, Ni. I wanted certain things that Harry didn’t so we ended it. It sucked and hurt like hell, but I’m not really sure what would be unfinished between Harry and me.”

Niall doesn’t say anything and Louis can’t stop going over his words in his mind. Louis clears his throat to change the subject and take the focus off himself. 

“What about you and Shawn? How are things going between you two?”

The most dreamy smile appears on Niall’s face, Louis would normally make fun of him for it, but he can’t find it in himself to do so. 

“Things are...they’re amazing,” he admits, “I’ve dated so many women, as you very well know about. It was always about sex with them because there wasn’t anything about them that I wanted to get to know. Don’t get me wrong, they were all lovely, beautiful ladies, but after sleeping with them I still always felt a void inside. Perhaps that’s why I kept sleeping around, trying to find that one person to fill whatever I was missing.

“I’ll never forget the day I walked into Benny’s and saw Shawn for the first time. Louis, he literally took my breath away. So much so that it freaked me the fuck out. His eyes, his smile, everything about him is so warm, I instantly felt drawn to him like a moth to a flame. I was such a mess, I couldn’t even bring myself to talk to him. All of a sudden I wasn’t interested in any women. I just wanted him, but I didn’t know how to get him. I didn’t want to fuck it up.”

Louis’ jaw is on the floor listening to Niall talk. It’s like having a completely different person in front of him. Niall has changed a lot for the better. He’s in love and he’s happy. It makes Louis’ heart warm seeing him like this.

“Anyway, you know what happened after that. But, every day I love him more. I used to always make fun of people for saying shit like that. Hell, I’ve heard you say that shit and I used to think you were being ridiculous. But I finally  _ get _ it. And now that I’ve found it and I have it, I never want to let it go. He’s the love of my life, Louis.”

“Wow,” Louis says. “That’s great Niall. I’m happy for you.”

Niall grins, “Thanks. I actually just asked him to move in with me. We’re looking at places.”

They continue chatting for a while longer. Niall complaining about how expensive it is to live in Chicago. Before they know it, it's time to go their separate ways. Louis wraps his arms around Niall and kisses him on the cheek.

“See you later, bud. Say hi to Shawn for me.”

“I will,” Niall says before walking in the opposite direction. 

Walking back to the university, Louis goes over Niall’s words. Not just about Harry, but also about the way he talked about Shawn with so much love in his voice. Louis remembers how it used to feel to be in love. To feel so sure you’ve found the love of your life. He thought he had that with Harry, then with Nick and now it feels like he’s miles away from reaching that point again if ever. Not only is he single now, but he’s also living with the ex that didn’t want the same future he wanted. If someone had told Louis this two years ago, he never would have believed it.

As much as Louis is enjoying hooking up with no strings attached, there’s a part of him that misses being committed to someone. Having that person on his mind all day, every day. Waking up to someone next to him, being wrapped up in their arms and just feeling that love radiating off them. 

Who knows when that kind of love will make its way back to Louis’ life again. But for now, he’s perfectly content finding random hookups. Louis chuckles to himself just thinking about how he and Niall have practically switched lives. Niall being the committed one, about to move in with the love of his life while Louis goes to Benny’s more often than not to find a cute guy to take to bed.

Life is funny sometimes.

  
  


One evening, Louis is sitting on the couch grading papers when Harry comes home. Louis mutters a quick ‘hey’ not bothering to look in his roommate’s direction, too caught up in his student Erin’s terrible grammar. He swears there are more red marks on this thing than there are words on the paper. 

Harry falls onto the sofa on the opposite side making the entire thing bounce. He shifts his gaze at Harry about to glare at him but gets distracted by the wide grin on his face. 

“What are you so chipper about?” Louis asks, setting his pile of papers on the coffee table to give his roommate his undivided attention.

“I got my first field assignment,” Harry announces, bouncing in his seat with joy.

“Congratulations, H! Where are they sending you?”

Harry raises his arms up in the air, “Las Vegas, baby! They want me to cover some convention that’s happening next weekend. I’m so excited. I’ve always wanted to visit and now I get to!”

“That’s exciting. I’m happy for you,” Louis tells him, moving closer to Harry so he can wrap an arm around him.

Harry leans into him, still unable to contain his smile, he’s fucking glowing. He stares at Louis, a silent question in his eyes. When he doesn’t say anything, Louis has to pry it out of him.

“What?”

Harry looks down at his feet, suddenly seeming nervous. “I know it’s sort of short notice but I was thinking maybe you and the guys can join me? We can make a long weekend out of it, do some gambling, make some memories…” 

Louis mentally goes through his schedule. He doesn’t have any urgent meetings he needs to be at and he feels pretty confident leaving his T.A. to take care of his classes. Harry’s hopeful gaze ultimately makes the decision for him, though. After almost four years of knowing him, he’s still unable to deny Harry much.

“I think I can make it work,” Louis says.

Harry jumps to his feet, clapping, “Yes!” He pulls out his cellphone and turns towards his room, “I’m going to call the rest of the group and beg and plead if I have to,” he says over his shoulder, disappearing through the door.

Louis can’t help but mirror Harry’s enthusiasm. He decides to call it a night on grading, instead working on helping Harry convince the rest of the group about this trip.

The entire gang is on board and it surprisingly didn’t take much effort to get them to take some time off work. Harry, Louis, Niall, and Shawn are flying out Thursday night, while Liam and Zayn will be joining them Friday night as Liam had a really important court hearing he just couldn’t miss. They book their flights and Harry makes sure he and Louis get seats together. 

Louis is buzzing the rest of the week, making lists of what he needs to pack and stuff he has to make a trip to the store for. They’re going to be staying at Caesar’s Palace. The couples get their own room while Harry and Louis share a double. 

It’s not Louis’ ideal situation to share a room with his ex-boyfriend, but he thinks that Vegas trumps any residual awkward feelings they might still have about their past relationship. Besides, things with him and Harry lately have been better than they’ve ever been. 

The day of the trip finally arrives and Louis is scrambling at the last minute to pack his things. Harry stands by his bedroom door with his arms crossed shaking his head in disappointment.

Louis huffs, “Fuck off okay? I had a long day so I took a small nap, but I ended up sleeping through the alarm. So sue me.”

Harry snorts, “It’s not like you had over a week to get your shit packed or anything.”

“Shut up,” Louis tries to act annoyed but his smile gives him away. He’s just too excited for their trip.

Harry ends up helping him, trying to get them going since their flight leaves in a couple of hours and they still have a long commute to the airport. They’d agreed to meet Niall and Shawn at the terminal and they’ve already been getting annoying texts asking where they are and asking how much longer it’s going to take them to arrive. Eventually, they just ignore the texts altogether.

They make it almost an hour before they’re set to board their flight. Security is a nightmare and by the time they go through everything their flight is already starting to board first-class passengers.

“Cutting it close aren’t we?” Niall says, his arm wrapped around Shawn.

“Don’t look at me, it’s all Louis,” Harry points his thumb at Louis.

Louis squawks. “Fuck you both.”

Harry glances at him, uninterested, “Been there, done that.”

“No thanks,” Niall answers at the same time.

Louis groans, leaving his friends and going to stand by the window until they call their group to board. When they finally do get called and make their way into the plane, Louis begins to remember why he hardly travels. The tight space with so many people cramped up trying to fit and reach over to load their carry-ons, it’s so much. Louis works on taking slow, deep breaths not wanting Harry to notice that he’s freaking out.

Turns out Louis has nothing to worry about. When the plane prepares for takeoff, Louis’ breath hitches unable to help the way his body reacts. Right as he’s about to hug the seat in front of him and close his eyes, Harry intercepts it by grabbing hold of his hand.

“You can squeeze as hard as you want, whenever you need to. Whatever helps you get through this,” Harry tells him with a reassuring smile.

Louis wants to say thank you or something, but his breathing is so ragged he doesn’t manage to find his voice. Instead, he nods and squeezes Harry’s hand to acknowledge what he’s said. With that, he leans his head back, closes his eyes and focuses on the warm hand enveloping his own.

The rest of the flight is pretty uneventful. Other than a couple of moments of turbulence where Louis clings to Harry’s hand harder than usual, but his roommate seems unaffected by the added pressure. Louis can’t be more relieved when they’re finally on land. No one brings any baggage other than their carry-on bags so they head straight to the Lyft section to wait for their ride to the hotel.

Las Vegas is  _ hot.  _ It shouldn’t come as a shock since Chicago just had one of the hottest summers of the year, but maybe it’s because they’re in the desert or something that makes Louis feel like he’s roasting. 

They arrive at Caesar’s Palace and Louis’ eyes go wide. It’s bigger than he imagined since he’s only had movies and TV shows to use as a reference. 

“Welcome to Caesar’s Palace,” the front desk attendant tells them when they approach the check-in counter.

Louis lets Harry take care of the check-in for their room because he’s too distracted by his surroundings.

“Wait, but when I made the reservation I asked for a Julius deluxe room with two queen beds,” Harry is telling the receptionist.

The words pull Louis’ attention, and suddenly all the wonders of the hotel are forgotten. 

“I’m sorry sir. All our rooms are booked for the convention this weekend. I can give you two tickets to see Lady Gaga, compliments of the hotel for the inconvenience,” she offers.

Harry turns to Louis, his face looks conflicted. “What do you want to do?”

Louis was already a little apprehensive about sharing a room with Harry, but now he has to share a bed with him too? He knows that there are no feelings between them, nothing more than friendship but still. Isn’t that like tempting fate or something? Isn’t there some law somewhere that says exes aren’t supposed to share a bed without things getting complicated?

“Or if you want I can sleep on the floor, it’s no problem really,” Harry continues. Louis realizes that his silence must make him think he has a real issue with him.

Louis places a hand on Harry’s arm, “Relax Haz. It’s totally fine. It’s not like we can’t share a bed for a few days. Plus it’s nothing I’ve never seen before,” he winks playfully. He’s not sure if his attempt at humor works, but at least Harry’s features seem to relax.

“Okay. If you’re sure,” Harry says.

“I am. Don’t worry about me,” Louis reassures him.

With that, they part ways with Niall and Shawn. The lovebirds agree to meet up for breakfast in the morning, claiming it’s too late to do anything tonight even though it’s barely 10:30pm. 

“Weaklings,” Louis mutters before bidding them goodnight.

“They’re probably gonna go have sex all night since they’re in a fancy hotel room,” Harry says.

Louis lets out an exaggerated sigh. “Ah the single life,” he turns to Harry waving him over, “Come on H, we should at least go have dinner downstairs or have a drink. We’re in Vegas!”

Harry’s grinning, obviously thrumming with excitement himself. At least someone is on his side. 

“Yes! Vegas, baby!”

Their room is beautiful. A huge king size bed takes up the center of the room. There’s floor to ceiling windows that have the amazing view of the Vegas strip. Louis can’t help but stand in front of it to look out and take everything in. 

“You gonna put that down?” Harry’s voice shakes him from his reverie.

Louis is confused at first then he realizes he still has his duffle bag hanging off his shoulder.

He chuckles, “Right.” Their room has a decent sized couch. “Hey Haz, if you want I can just sleep here,” he points to the sofa. “It looks pretty comfortable.”

“Don’t be ridiculous. As you said, it’s just a few days. We’re roommates, we can survive sharing a bed,” Harry says. Louis thinks he may have a point.

They take turns showering and getting dressed before leaving their room to explore the rest of the hotel. There’s no set plan really, but they agreed neither of them wanted to leave the hotel tonight. 

“Louis look! It’s Gordon Ramsay’s restaurant, can we go? Please?” Harry sounds like a child asking their parents to buy them a toy they really want. Louis finds it endearing.

“Hell yeah. Let’s do it,” Louis says. Harry bounces on his feet.

The food is amazing. They wouldn’t expect anything less from a Gordon Ramsay restaurant. After they finish and split the bill they head over to the casino, making a pit stop at the bar.

“Can I get a Jack and Coke for this one and a strawberry daiquiri for me, please?” Harry asks the bartender who nods, smiling at them as she prepares their drinks. 

Louis’ mind begins drifting away to that moment when he first met Harry. He was across the room at Benny’s and in a split second, his life had changed forever. Harry had ordered them drinks, the same ones he just ordered them now. It’s crazy how much they’ve been through in these past four years. Louis has no regrets, even though his heart has been broken since then. It’s what was supposed to happen, he’s sure of it. Like his mantra that he’s gotten inked on his chest “it is what it is”

“Lou?” Not for the first time since they landed, Harry’s voice breaks him from his thoughts. Louis blinks, turning to Harry who’s staring at him amused. “You okay?”

Louis smiles, taking the drink he has no idea when the bartender put in front of him. He raises the glass toward Harry and takes a sip. “Actually I’m not,” Louis begins. Harry’s face immediately morphs into a frown and he continues talking, “I’m sober in Vegas and we gotta rectify that. Now come on Haz, we gotta catch up to everyone else.”

Harry takes his own glass with a grin, sucking on the straw. He winces, “Ouch. Brain freeze.”

Louis scoffs. “We’re gonna need shots too. You’ll never get drunk on daiquiris alone.”

They giggle before ordering a round of shots, ready to get the full Vegas experience. 

  
  
  


There’s music pounding and people in every direction. Louis blinks rapidly trying to focus, racking his brain trying to remember where the hell he is. They’re at a club it looks like? How did they end up in a club? Where’s Harry? Louis panics, head snapping left and right trying to catch sight of a familiar mop of curly hair. Who is he kidding though? This club is so dark, there’s no way he’d be able to see it anyway.

“Haz?” Louis shouts, but he can’t even hear himself over the loud music. He sees a sign that says Omnia Nightclub. That’s right. The hotel has a nightclub and on Thursdays and Sundays they get free entry. Louis remembers the bartender telling them something about that. After shot number four, things got really fuzzy.

Louis checks his phone to see if maybe Harry texted him. There’s an unread message from just a couple of minutes ago. 

**Harry** : idk how to git out f bathrm help

Louis looks around for any signs to the bathroom, suddenly feeling a little more coherent than he was five minutes ago. He weaves through the crowd until he finds the door to the men’s room. Harry is sitting on the floor, his back against the wall staring at his phone with a pout.

“Haz what are you doing down there?”

Harry’s head snaps up at the sound of Louis’ voice, eyes wide. He grins when he sees Louis, attempts to jump up on his feet but stumbles. Louis has to reach out to keep him steady, keeping him from hitting his head on the hand dryer.

“Lou I’m so sorry,” Harry whines, his eyes welling with tears. “I got lost. I didn’t know how to get out of here to find you. There wasn’t an exit and I got scared,” he slurs.

Louis almost wants to laugh, but at the same time he’s concerned because Harry seems more than just drunk. He takes Harry by the shoulders to get a better look at him. His eyes are glazed and bloodshot, pupils dilated.

“Harry, did anyone give you anything?”

Harry’s lips stick out while his eyes drift up as he thinks about Louis’ question. His face brightens up as if a lightbulb has gone off on his head. 

“I met this really nice guy. Treble? Travis? Trevor? I dunno I forgot, but he gave me this piece of candy. Said it would make me feel good,” Harry says, smiling. 

“Fuck. Okay, come on we’re leaving,” Louis tells him even though Harry probably can’t compute what he’s saying. He pulls Harry up and wraps his arm around his waist to guide him out of the bathroom.

It’s no easy feat since the club is still packed and people keep bumping into them as they’re dancing and having a good time. Louis’ arms are burning by the time they get to the elevators in the hotel lobby. Harry’s got his head leaned against Louis’ shoulder and Louis keeps shaking him awake. He’s not sure what kind of drug he was given, but he doesn’t want Harry to fall asleep yet. 

When they get to the room, Louis places Harry on the bed before he moves to grab a water bottle from the mini fridge. He’s almost tempted to make Harry vomit whatever he’s taken, but now that he has a better look at him he just seems high on something. Louis makes a mental note to ask Harry in the morning, hoping he remembers. Whatever it is, at least he’s safe in his room where Louis can keep an eye on him. 

“Come on baby, drink up,” Louis tells him when he uncaps the water bottle. He doesn’t notice his little slip until Harry is eagerly chugging the water. Harry’s too high right now to acknowledge what he just said, at least Louis hopes so.

Harry finishes the bottle in seconds, so Louis grabs him another one and he drinks most of that one as well. Louis sets whatever is left on the night stand and helps Harry get out of his jeans. He puts him under the covers and caresses Harry’s hair.

“Go to sleep okay?” Louis tells him.

Harry smiles dreamily at Louis. “Yes, sir,” he says.

If they were in a different kind of situation, that kind of response might have stirred some arousal in Louis, but he reminds himself that his roommate is wasted and shoves those thoughts aside. He watches Harry fall asleep before he gets into his pajamas and joins him in bed. In spite of this little incident, he and Harry had fun. Louis can’t wait to continue the rest of their mini vacation when Liam and Zayn arrive tomorrow.

Louis is the first to wake up the next morning. For a moment he forgets where he is. He feels warm, cozy with a pair of arms wrapped around him. Smiling, he shifts in the bed and looks over. Harry is snuggled on him, his face buried into his neck. Shit. They agreed they could deal with sharing a bed, but now Louis isn’t so sure. Having Harry here in bed, all the familiarity is rushing back to Louis creating a warm sensation deep inside of him. That can’t be good, can it?

Louis checks the time and sees that it’s just past 10 AM. Harry is dead to the world, none of Louis’ movements did anything to make him stir. Taking a deep breath, Louis slips out of bed to run to the bathroom without waking Harry and shoves all these mixed up feelings as far away as he can.

Harry moves just as Louis is coming out of the bathroom, rubbing his eyes sleepily looking confused at his surroundings.

“Good morning, Lou.” Harry rasps. His voice is completely shot, like he spent all night giving blowjobs or something. And why is that Louis’ first thought? He needs to get a grip if he’s going to survive this weekend in the same bed as his ex.

Louis sits next to Harry on the bed, “I’ve got a bone to pick with you Mister,” he says, shoving Harry on the shoulder.

Harry groans and hits Louis with a pillow.

“Seriously, Harry,” Louis says when they’re done. “What the hell did you take last night? You were so out of it.”

Harry shrugs, “It was just some Molly. I met this guy at the club who asked if I wanted some and I was curious and took it.”

Louis slams his pillow on Harry’s face. “You idiot! You don’t just take drugs from strangers, what’s wrong with you?”

Harry pouts, “I’m sorry,” he whines. “I was drunk and having such a good time. I just wanted to keep feeling good.”

Louis rolls his eyes, shaking his head. “Still. Didn’t your mom ever teach you not to take candy from strangers? The same rule applies to drugs. Or drinks. Or pretty much anything.”

Harry huffs, “Okay, I’m sorry. What ended up happening last night anyway? My mind is pretty blank after I took that shit.”

Louis hits Harry with his pillow again. “You texted me saying you didn’t know how to get out of the bathroom so I had to come find you. Then you were crying about it when I saw you. Had to drag you all the way up here by myself. You’re heavier than you look.”

Now Harry’s the one hitting Louis with the pillow. “Shut up. I’m sorry about that. Thank you for taking care of me. I’ll make it up to you today, okay?”

Louis crosses his arms. “Oh really? And how are you going to do that?”

Harry rolls out of bed before Louis can hit him with a pillow again and he goes straight for the pot of coffee to prepare some. He presses the button to make it come to life before glancing at Louis, “I don’t know. I’ll think of something.”

Louis highly doubts it.

They take turns showering and get ready to meet Niall and Shawn downstairs for the breakfast buffet. 

“Come on H, we’re already late. I don’t want to hear shit from Niall,” Louis pointing at the imaginary watch on his wrist.

Harry huffs, “Niall can fuck off,” before finishing tying his shoes and joining Louis at the door.

They find Niall and Shawn at a table looking at something on Shawn’s phone.

“Good morning fellas,” Louis greets.

Niall and Shawn look up from what they were doing. “You’re late,” Niall says. Shawn shoves him playfully and tells him to leave them alone.

They get their food and talk about their plans for the day. Niall talks about wanting to zipline and Louis dismisses that right away.

“There’s no way I’m doing that. I was barely able to get through the flight, you think I’m gonna get up on some wire. No thanks,” Louis says.

“Oh come on Louis. It looks like so much fun,” Niall begs.

Louis shakes his head, “You guys are more than welcome to do that. I’ll just hang around, you know on solid ground.”

Harry rubs at Louis’ back, “Yeah I don’t know if I’m up for that either. Maybe we can go and explore something else while they do the zipline. I still have to make it up to you for last night.”

At that Niall smirks. “Oh I see,” he says, gesturing between the two. “Is this some sort of sex thing?”

Louis sputters, “What? No! Harry’s talking about the fact that I had to babysit him last night because he can’t control his liquor,” he tries explaining, leaving out the whole getting high thing.

Harry seems grateful based on the nod he throws Louis’ way.

Niall’s eyes turn into slits, “Sure. Whatever. Fine, Shawn and I will do the zipline and you guys can go do whatever,” he rolls his eyes at them.

“Oh come on Niall, leave them alone,” Shawn jumps in. He looks at Harry and Louis, “I’m sure we’ll have plenty of time to do something fun together. We have the whole weekend ahead of us.”

After breakfast they hang around the casino. Niall and Shawn head over to the roulette table, while Louis sticks to the slots. Harry joins Niall and Shawn for a while before he finds Louis. He’s won a few times, but nothing significant.

“How’s it going over there?” Louis asks, gesturing toward the roulette table.

Harry shrugs, “I keep losing so I gave up. Niall is up by a couple of hundred dollars.”

Louis hums. “Five bucks says he loses it all,” he bets.

Harry laughs, “Sounds like something that would happen to Niall.”

While Shawn and Niall go zip lining, Harry and Louis take the opportunity to explore the strip. Harry doesn’t have to be at work until the afternoon so the guys had agreed to meet for lunch before he has to leave. 

Zayn and Liam arrive while Harry’s working so Louis, Niall and Shawn all tag along in their room while the couple settles in. Dinner isn’t as entertaining without Harry around so Louis takes it upon himself to bombard him with picture messages of everything he can think of. He doesn’t get a response from Harry which only makes it more fun thinking of Harry’s face when he sees all of Louis’ texts. 

They’re at the casino when Harry joins their group again. They only hang out for about another hour before both couples call it a night. Harry and Louis are too tired from last night to go out again, so they settle for a night in as well, renting whatever movie is on pay-per-view.

Louis wakes up to the bed bouncing. When he opens his eyes he finds Harry with a grin on his face jumping up and down, his eyes glued to Louis. 

“Louis guess what tonight is?” he asks, not ceasing his movements. His hair is in disarray, with a combination of bed head and the jumping he’s been doing for god knows how long.

Louis rubs at his eyes groaning, almost positive that it’s way too early to be having any sort of conversation.

“What’s tonight?”

Harry jumps one final time, landing on the bed straddling Louis’s lap. Out of instinct, Louis grabs hold of Harry’s hips, his hands making contact with his warm skin since he’s not wearing a shirt.

“We get to see Lady Gaga!” Harry’s face is so close, Louis can feel his warm breath. Louis blinks slowly, taking in Harry’s appearance. His glowing face, rosy cheeks and plump lips. Harry’s stare is unwavering and Louis suddenly feels like he’s being examined under a microscope with how close they are. In all the months that they’ve lived together, they’ve never been this close. Until now. 

Louis laughs breathily to cover up his nerves. He moves Harry off his lap tickling playfully and rolling off the bed making his way toward the bathroom.

“Whoo Lady Gaga,” he says with semi enthusiasm. Harry’s cackle gets muffled when Louis closes the bathroom door. 

They all have breakfast as a group before Harry is forced to leave for work purposes. The rest of them spend time exploring, shopping, and doing touristy things. 

“Shawn and I want to go clubbing tonight, you guys in?” Niall asks them when they’re enjoying their lunch outside. 

“Harry and I are going to see Lady Gaga tonight,” Louis says, taking a bite of his sandwich.

Niall quirks his eyebrow, “You and Harry huh? Like a date?”

Louis snorts, “No genius. When we checked in they didn’t have the double Harry had originally booked so to make up for it they gave us tickets for Lady Gaga’s show,” he shrugs.

Louis ignores the way his friends glance at each other and continues eating. 

“Wait, are you saying you and Harry are sharing a bed right now?” Zayn asks Louis with that look he hates.

Louis huffs. “Yeah. It’s not like we really had a choice. Everything else was booked. We’re roommates, I’m sure we can survive a few days sharing the same bed.”

No one else says anything, but Zayn’s stare hasn’t wavered and so Louis stares back hoping it conveys for him to just drop it. He nods seeming to understand and easily changes the subject to their recent doctor visit with their surrogate. 

  
  
  


“Wow, that was amazing,” Harry shouts over everyone’s cheers and clapping. 

They all start making their way toward the exit and Harry still seems to be in a trance as they head back to their hotel. Louis checks the time and the guys are probably still at the club.

“You want to join the group at the club?” Louis asks.

Harry nods so they head straight there. Louis texts Zayn who informs them where they’re located. They only find Zayn and Liam though. 

“Where are Niall and Shawn?”

Liam shrugs. “They left about an hour ago. Both of them were too drunk to say anything coherent. Neither of us could make out what they were trying to tell us.”

Harry hands Louis a drink he’d gotten them at the bar. “Thanks.”

They don’t stay at the club much longer before they decide to call it a night. Louis texts Niall to make sure they’ve made it back to their rooms safely, but he never gets a response. He hopes one of them is sober enough to find their way safely.

Louis and Harry kick their shoes off as soon as they walk into their room. Harry places the t-shirt he got at the concert on the couch.

“Today was amazing,” he says, unbuttoning his shirt. 

Louis smiles, “It really was.”

“I’m glad everyone was able to come for this. It’s been great having you all here,” Harry continues now working on his pants that are way too tight to even be legal. 

Louis can’t help but follow the movement with his eyes. It’s not like he hasn’t seen Harry naked. Not only have they dated, but Harry’s not really shy when it comes to not wearing clothes and tonight isn't any different. 

“What?” Harry asks, staring back at him.

Louis averts his gaze immediately, not intending to be caught. He can’t help blushing and he turns around towards the windows, discarding his own clothing.

“Nothing. Just thinking about the concert.”

He can see Harry approaching him through the window’s reflection, but he tries to think nothing of it. That’s until he feels Harry’s warm hands on his waist and his breath on his ear. 

“Are you sure about that?” Harry’s voice is soft and low, it makes Louis shiver. And this isn’t supposed to happen. Harry isn’t supposed to have this effect on Louis anymore. There was a line that they weren’t supposed to cross and right now they’re both standing on it about to do something they’re both going to regret. 

Louis holds Harry’s hands and turns to face him. He schools his face trying his best to act unaffected.

“Haz, what are you doing?”

Harry’s eyes roam his face, making Louis flush even harder at the scrutiny. One of Harry’s hands comes up to his cheek, his thumb caressing his skin. Louis closes his eyes. 

It’s quiet except for their breathing. Louis can feel his own pulse in his ears and everything around him seems to have paused.

Harry moves so fast Louis doesn’t even compute what’s happening until he feels familiar lips against his. Louis gasps into it, his hands instinctively come up to frame Harry’s face. He doesn’t know how much time passes. It’s like kissing Harry messes with time and space and for all he knows they could be here kissing for hours without the outside world taking notice. It’s when Harry lets out a soft moan that Louis snaps out of it. He pulls away, their lips making a loud smacking noise that echoes throughout the room. 

“Harry, we can’t do this,” Louis says. His voice sounds more pained than he intends it to.

When he opens his eyes, Harry’s eyes look wild and his lips are shiny and red. He looks so debauched from one kiss it takes everything in Louis not to jump back in. 

Harry seems to realize what’s happening, his eyes going wide. He bites his lip and blushes. 

“I’m sorry. You’re right. I was just caught up in the moment and stuff,” he says looking away and scratching the back of his head. 

Before they can continue having this awkward conversation, Louis’ phone saves the night as it blares in the quiet room.

Louis stumbles to grab it, seeing a picture of Niall on the screen. “Oh Niall thank god. Did you guys make it back to the room okay?”

There’s no response for a few seconds and then Niall's voice is so loud, Louis winces.

“Shawn and I got married!”

  
  
  


Everyone but Niall and Shawn are at breakfast the next morning. When Niall had called Louis last night he said they’d be celebrating it as a group but neither groom is present yet. They all look at each other wearily.

“Did Niall call you too?” Louis asks Liam and Zayn.

Zayn nods. “Yeah. When we asked him to tell us where they were so we can make sure they’re okay he said they’re about to have their first night as husbands and that we could watch if we wanted,” he shudders recounting their conversation.

As they continue talking over coffee the newlyweds arrive hand in hand with bright smiles on their faces.

“Good morning!” Niall greets them. Shawn shares the same sentiment as they find their seats next to each other.

They make their orders with the waitress and when she excuses herself all eyes fall on the couple. Said couple, or at least Niall, tries pretending like nothing’s amiss, but there’s no way in hell they’ll let them get away with such a bombshell.

“So? Care to explain what happened last night, Niall?” Louis prompts.

Niall places his coffee on the table and lifts Shawn’s hand up to his lips to kiss it.

“Shawn and I decided to take the plunge and get married last night. Yeah, we may have been a little drunk, but once we sobered up we determined that we don’t regret it at all. I mean, it saves us the unnecessary stress that comes with planning a wedding and I was planning on proposing eventually anyway,” Niall explains.

Shawn nods along to his husband’s words, “Niall’s right. We love each other and we thought hey, we’re in Vegas. Let’s just do it. So we did,” he shrugs grinning at Niall and pulling him into a kiss on the lips.

“You guys are so gross,” Harry says, “I’m happy for you.”

Once they all determine that the couple is happy and not at all regretting their decision to get married, they move on to celebrating and making a champagne toast to the happy couple. 

Anything that might have happened with Harry last night is long forgotten. For now.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> THE FIC IS FINISHED!
> 
> Hi hello! Yes you read that right. I have finished this fic it is complete. So I will be posting the rest of the chapters as soon as my beta goes over it. I've officially surpassed 100k words which makes this my longest fic to date so yay to that.
> 
> Also, I forgot to mention that I created a playlist for this fic which you can find right [here.](https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2ha7HWhjGEVLmYki1r6d2B?si=fhYgi1VsTbm1peNPiC53dQ)

**October 2022**

Louis wipes the sweat off his forehead with his forearm before it reaches his eyes and continues sweeping the paint roller up and down to the rhythm of the music blasting through his bluetooth speaker. He has spent the entire weekend at his house painting every room he can. The contractor called Louis earlier in the week informing him that all the electrical stuff is complete which couldn’t have come at a more perfect time.

Work has been getting more stressful with midterms looming. Louis has been longing for some time to himself without his friends. Harry in particular. Ever since they returned from Las Vegas things have been... he’s not sure how to describe it. There’s been no mention of the kiss that happened between them. It’s like it was erased from Harry’s memory Men in Black style and he’s acting normal. Almost too normal, making Louis overthink everything. So when he got the call from the contractor, Louis informed Harry that he’d be at his mom’s, loaded up the car and headed over after his last class on Friday. 

The house is empty. When Louis went to the store to purchase the paint and other supplies he also got an air mattress and a lawn chair along with some food to sustain him for the next few days. He turned off his phone and got to work, starting with the master bedroom upstairs and working his way down.

The process has been exhausting but completely worth it getting to throw himself into a project like this. He finishes up the last coat in the living room and stands with his hands on his hips admiring his work. It’s a light grey that will go well with the living room set he‘s purchasing. There’s still a lot of work that needs to be done. Much of the outdoor repairs were completed over the summer. The inside is mostly done except for the two bathrooms on the main floor that need to be completely redone, the basement that Louis wants to convert into a sort of theater room, and his home office that he wants to build custom shelves for. 

If all goes according to plan, he should be able to move in by the beginning of the new year. However, Louis is an architect, and knows that more often than not things always fall behind schedule so he’s not holding his breath on that tentative date.

It’s late afternoon on Sunday when Louis is done, so he powers up his phone. There are a couple of texts from Harry, nothing important and a text from Liam from about an hour ago letting him know that the group is meeting at Benny’s for dinner.

Louis cleans up and puts things away before locking up his home. He’s really content with how the outside of the house turned out. He repainted the porch and shutters and installed a new porch swing. As he slides into the driver’s seat he looks back and can picture his future children playing outside, riding their bikes while he and his husband look on happily. Letting out a long sigh, Louis places the key into the ignition and brings the car to life. He takes one last glimpse of his home before pulling out of the driveway, leaving the images of his future family behind. 

When Louis arrives back at the apartment he doesn’t run into Harry on his way to his room to retrieve his things for a quick shower. It’s quiet and Louis is grateful for it, still not completely ready to face anyone just yet.

The group is already at their regular booth nursing drinks. They greet Louis with smiles before he orders himself a pint. 

They catch each other up on their weeks and get their update on Baby Malik-Payne. 

“Why don’t you want to know the sex of the baby?” Harry asks, taking a bite of his fries.

Zayn shrugs, “We don’t want to know, but also I don’t want people giving us pink or blue shit based on the gender. I hate all that. If I have a girl, why can’t I dress her in blue if I damn well want.”

Liam nods in agreement with his arm around Zayn’s shoulders, rubbing his arm. “Yeah. We don’t care about that stuff. We’re gonna love them no matter what. Zayn has already got a onesie for every superhero you can think of. They’re going to look so cute.”

Zayn smiles proudly, and their conversation moves on. 

“What is everyone doing for Halloween this year? I was thinking maybe we can all go out as a group somewhere,” Harry suggests after they’re done eating.

There isn’t much of a reaction from the others. Liam and Zayn glance at each other and make a face like it’s the last thing they want to do.

“Sorry, we can’t,” Niall chimes in. He looks over at Shawn who also looks apologetic, “Shawn’s parents aren’t too happy about the whole wedding in Vegas thing so they’re making us come over and have dinner with his entire family,” he explains making his own face full of dread.

Shawn rubs at his back like it’s a conversation they’ve already had multiple times.

“Yeah, sorry guys. If we don’t go to this my parents will disown me for sure,” Shawn sighs.

“We’re not really up for it,” Zayn adds. “Liam and I wanted to just have a quiet night in and give out candy to the kids in our neighborhood.”

“Boring,” Louis pipes up. He looks at Harry, “We’re friends with a bunch of old people, Haz,” he nudges him with his elbow.

Harry laughs, his dimples out. “I guess it’s just you and me then,” he murmurs, gazing at him with an unreadable expression on his face. 

Louis looks away, takes a gulp of his beer and pretends he doesn’t notice.

  
  
  


Louis stares at the mirror turning around to make sure everything is zipped up and tucked in properly. 

There’s a knock on his bedroom door. “Lou, are you almost ready? The Uber will be here in two minutes,” Harry calls from the other side.

“Yeah, just a sec.” He puts on the finishing touches of his costume by placing the mask on his face. Louis isn’t the biggest fan of masks, but what the hell. It’s only going to be a few hours that he’ll have to wear it.

Louis opens his bedroom door and Harry is messing with his hair. When he hears the door his head snaps over to him. Louis doesn’t miss the way his lips part open as Harry gives him a once over. 

“Are you sure about these costumes?” Louis asks, gesturing to his  [ Captain America ](https://images.app.goo.gl/HisoAJskx82TguDP8) ensemble and Harry’s  [ Bucky Barnes ](https://images.app.goo.gl/3yjqQWfkpMmUnFaJ7) one. “Don’t people ship these two? I’m almost positive I’ve read some porny fanfiction about them.” He doesn’t point out the fact that it was Harry’s idea for them to dress like this.

Harry laughs and rolls his eyes. “Some do yeah. But you look amazing! Maybe we can reenact that one scene in Winter Soldier where Captain America throws his shield and Bucky catches it like a badass.”

Louis snorts, “With your clumsiness, you’ll probably end up with a black eye from the shield hitting you in the face or something.”

Harry pouts, but then the notification on his phone catches his attention. “Our Uber is here. Let’s go.”

Their driver takes them to Harry’s job which is hosting a Halloween party for all its employees. Harry assures him that they only need to make an appearance and then they can go wherever he wants. 

The party is on the roof of the news building. There is a DJ as well as tables set up with food and other goodies. Harry goes around to greet his colleagues, introducing Louis as his roommate. It catches Louis off guard at first because he’s more than just Harry’s roommate, but then he rolls his eyes at himself for overthinking again about a simple word. He knows he and Harry aren’t just roommates. They’re best friends, ex lovers, all of that, but none of that is anyone else’s business anyway. 

After all the mingling, Harry and Louis grab some food and drinks from the open bar that is providing Halloween themed cocktails such as melted witch martinis or monster mash margaritas. Because it’s Halloween (well not actually October 31st, but it’s the weekend everyone celebrates), Louis decides to go for one of them instead of his regular Jack and Coke. What the hell, neither he or Harry are driving tonight and they both planned on having the best night so they can later rub it in their friends’ faces on what they missed out.

The martini is strong but good. Harry gets the same drink, so they clink glasses and smile at each other as they sip on them. They dance for a few songs and there are a couple of moments where Harry gets asked by co-workers to dance, but he politely declines each one.

“You can dance with your friends, Haz,” Louis tells him after Harry denies another friend.

Harry shakes his head. “I don’t want to leave you alone.”

Louis scoffs, “I’m a big boy. I’m sure I’ll survive a few minutes without you.”

Harry glares and elbows him, “I know that. But I don’t want to. We came together so I want to stick with you if that’s okay.”

There’s that expression on Harry’s face again. This one is more intense than the last one. Like he’s trying to communicate with Louis telepathically. Louis wishes he could read Harry as easily as he used to be able to when they were together, maybe then he wouldn’t be questioning every single interaction he has with him. 

Louis shrugs trying to act like he isn’t bothered, “Alright then.”

They stay for a couple of hours before Harry grabs his hand and pulls him away from the crowd. “Let’s go,” he says. There’s an Uber already waiting for them and Louis doesn’t question it, just follows. 

They end up at Boystown. They start at Roscoe’s Tavern where they walk into the middle of a costume contest. Harry leads them over to the bar and gets them drinks without even asking Louis what he wants and starts a tab. 

“Cheers, Stevie,” Harry raises his glass toward Louis, lifting his eyebrow expectantly.

Louis laughs, lifting his own glass. “Cheers, Buck.”

Things get hazy after that. People approach them, telling them how much they love their costumes. Some people ask to take a picture with them acting like they’re the real characters or something. It amuses Louis and Harry to no end and they play along just because they can. 

After Roscoe’s they make it to Splash where the music is pumping. It’s so loud Louis can’t hear anything, but he doesn’t care. He and Harry grab drinks and head straight to the dance floor. The more they drink, the dirtier their dance moves get. Louis is too tipsy to overthink it and he just goes along with it. There are several instances where people try to join in but they brush them off and continue doing their thing.

Louis is tasked with refilling their drinks while Harry uses the bathroom. He’s at the bar waiting for them to be prepared when a guy also dressed as Bucky sidles up next to him. The guy nudges Louis to get his attention and Louis smiles politely at him.

“You make a hot Steve Rogers. Did you know they ship our characters together? Maybe we can make it a reality. What do you think?” The guy speaks with no shame it catches Louis off guard. It’s not like he hasn’t been this way himself just to get laid. The guy is pretty hot, but he’s here with Harry and they made a sort of agreement to stick together tonight.

Before Louis can turn him down, he feels an arm wrap around his waist. Harry pulls him towards his body possessively. A rush courses through Louis being held like this by him. Harry’s voice shakes him out of it.

“You okay, baby?” Harry asks, pretending like the guy isn’t even there. He then glances towards the other Bucky and gives him the dirtiest look. “Sorry dude, but this Steve Rogers already has a Bucky,” he smiles smugly.

The guy raises his hands, “Sorry, I didn’t know,” he sputters excusing himself and wishing them a goodnight.

The moment is over before Louis knows it and when the guy walks away, Harry doesn’t let him go until the bartender sets their drinks on the counter. They sip their cocktails before Harry drags them back to the dance floor with no mention of what the fuck just happened. He knows that Harry was just saving him from the unwanted attention, but he can’t help but feel like it was something more than that. Either way, Louis brushes those thoughts aside and lets himself get lost in the music.

Harry grabs a hold of Louis’ hips, his shield was left somewhere at the bar where the bartender agreed to watch it for him. His waist feels hot where Harry touches him. They’re sweaty, the costumes don’t help the matter. Harry stares at him, eyes heavy lidded, breath hot against his face. 

He leans into Louis’ ear, “I really want to kiss you right now,” he admits. Harry’s voice may be a little slurry, but it’s loud and clear.

Louis can’t help but giggle, throwing his head back like it’s so funny that Harry wants to kiss him. He looks back at him and his gaze hasn’t wavered. 

“Then do it,” Louis shouts over the music. It’s a challenge and Harry knows it because his eyes zero in on his lips.

Tired of waiting, Louis grabs him by the back of the neck to make their lips meet. Louis’ mouth parts open, inviting Harry in to take whatever he wants. Harry slides his tongue in eagerly, moving his hand to Louis’ cheek to take control of the kiss. Louis is already half hard and he’s sure the tight ass costume he’s wearing isn’t doing him any favors.

He pulls away groaning, “You wanna get out of here?”

Before Louis even finishes asking Harry is nodding, moving them out of the dance floor towards the exit. They don’t speak while they wait for their Uber to arrive. The chill of the night helps sober Louis up a little bit and he finds that he doesn’t want to put an end to this train of thought whatsoever. 

When the car arrives they get in and it’s quiet. Louis doesn’t say anything because he feels that if he does, it will ruin the moment. 

“It doesn’t have to mean anything,” Harry’s voice breaks the silence. 

Louis looks to the side to find Harry already staring at him. 

“I can hear you thinking,” Harry explains. “I know you’re into casual sex right now and I’m okay with that. So it can just be that. Casual,” he shrugs nonchalantly, “Nothing more.”

Louis takes in Harry’s words. He’s right, it doesn’t have to mean anything more than sex. But can anything sexual with Harry ever be casual? There is only one way to find out.

Louis surges closer to Harry to pull him into another kiss.

The apartment door flies open when they get home and their clothes come off before either of them get a chance to shut it closed. Harry giggles as he pushes and locks it, getting rid of his boots and pants in the process. Louis walks to his bedroom expecting Harry to follow him. He drops on the bed on his back and Harry goes after him, hovering on top of him. It’s all too intense for Louis, so he grabs Harry and rolls them over so he’s on top, straddling his lap. They resume kissing, Harry’s hands grabbing hold of Louis’ ass. It makes Louis moan into the kiss, licking into his mouth like he’s hungry for it, for Harry.

They’re both hard, their erections rubbing against each other with their desperate movements. Louis hisses at the contact, but it doesn’t halt their movements. 

“God, I missed your ass,” Harry groans, squeezing Louis’ cheeks harder. It makes their cocks rub against each other again. “Fuck, Lou. I need to be inside you like yesterday.”

“Yes, yes, yes,” Louis chants, reaching over to the bedside table to grab the lube and a condom. 

Harry moves to take the lube from him, but Louis waves him off, “There’s no time for that. Let me just take care of it real quick. I don’t want to come yet and if you finger me open I won’t last.”

He lubes up his fingers and reaches behind himself. Harry helps by spreading his cheeks open. Louis leans in to peck him on the lips before he breaches his hole with an index finger. It’s fast and messy, but Louis doesn’t care. When he deems himself stretched out enough, he gives Harry the condom who slides it on and coats it generously with more lube. 

“Oh my god.” Harry wails as Louis sinks down. 

Louis doesn’t give Harry time to catch his breath, he instantly begins rocking his hips back and forth as soon as he’s bottomed out. He puts his hands on Harry’s shoulders to gain more leverage and get a better angle.

“Shit!” Louis moves faster, Harry finally getting the hint and thrusting his own hips up to meet his. 

Their skin glistens with sweat, bodies hot and flushed sliding against each other. When Harry moves to get his hand on Louis’ dick, he slaps it away.

“No. I want to come on your cock,” he pants.

Harry whines, capturing his lips into an urgent kiss that’s all tongue and teeth. 

“Come on then,” Harry murmurs. “Come for me baby.”

Louis mewls, throwing his head back. Harry’s grip on his hips is so tight, he’ll no doubt have bruises in the morning. He bounces on Harry’s lap for a handful of more thrusts before Louis gasps, spilling all over his and Harry’s chests. 

“That’s it. Fuck you’re so good,” Harry breathes before he’s spilling into the condom. 

They’re breathing hard, still holding each other as they come down. When the come begins to cool and dry up, Louis finally makes a move to roll over on the bed, hissing as Harry slides out of him. 

“Thanks. I needed that,” Louis admits, patting Harry on the chest before getting out of bed to clean up. 

“Same,” Harry replies when he’s walking out the door.

When Louis returns to the bedroom, Harry isn’t there. 

  
  
  


Louis wakes up the next morning aching everywhere. He stretches with a groan, his bones popping in all the right places. When he moves to smother his face in his pillow to try to get a few more minutes of sleep he catches a whiff of sweat and sex, reminding him of the events of last night. After Louis came back to the bedroom Harry was gone and he was too tired and lazy to change the sheets. Now he wishes he would have.

It’s not that he’s regretting what happened. He doesn’t. Harry did the right thing by leaving and not expecting things to be any different than Louis’ other hookups just because they’re friends. Right? 

“Fuck,” Louis moans into his pillow before making himself get out of bed. His hips twinge in pain and when he catches sight of his reflection in the mirror there are bruises on his sides in the shape of Harry’s fingers. Louis presses on them to feel the pain and remind him of what happened.

It’s nearly noon and they all had agreed to meet at Liam and Zayn’s house to help build baby furniture.

There is no sign of Harry anywhere in the apartment when he walks to the kitchen to prepare his coffee. There is coffee in the pot that has already gone cold which means Harry was up a while ago.

After having his coffee and feeling somewhat human, he works on showering and changing the sheets on his bed. He texts Harry to see if he’s going to need a ride to Zayn and Liam’s but he responds telling him that he’s already there. Louis tries not to think anything of that, Harry doesn’t need to be waiting around for Louis to get a ride.

When he gets to Liam and Zayn’s everyone else is already there.

“Finally! Zayn wouldn’t let us start eating until you got here,” Niall complains.

“Sorry,” Louis offers, joining them in the dining room. There’s pancakes, eggs, sausage, fruit, all set up for everyone to serve themselves, which they do. 

Louis chances a look toward Harry who is eating his pancakes, unbothered.

“Maybe we should have eaten after building all the furniture as our reward. We’re not going to want to do anything after stuffing our faces with all of this,” Louis points out with a mouthful of pancakes.

“You shouldn’t need a reward for helping your friends,” Zayn chides taking a sip of his coffee. “But Liam is making his famous barbecue ribs and cornbread for dinner for those who stick around.”

Liam smiles smugly, “Yeah I’ve had the meat marinating since yesterday.”

“Fuck, you had me at barbecue ribs,” Niall proclaims his voice muffled with food.

After they eat, they clean up then move to the baby’s room. It has already been painted a beautiful turquoise color with white accents. There are unopened boxes scattered everywhere.

“Okay so we have the crib,” Liam points at a giant box, “changing table, curtains, a bookcase and some wall decor over here. You guys can start anywhere.”

They all get to work. Harry and Liam get started on the crib while Louis and Zayn tackle the changing table and Niall and Shawn get the bookcase. 

“You guys are way ahead of schedule with the baby’s room,” Louis comments.

Zayn shrugs, “Nesting is an important part of having a baby. Especially since we’re not the ones carrying it, you know?”

“I wish I could carry my own baby,” Harry muses longingly. The guys chuckle, but the statement makes Louis take pause. 

“What do you mean?” Louis can’t help but ask.

Harry meets Louis’ gaze for the first time today. He smiles shyly, “I just mean… When I have kids I’m gonna wish I could carry them the same way women do for nine months. It seems like such an amazing experience. Getting to connect with your baby in a way no one else can. Makes me a bit jealous that I won’t be able to. It’s not going to make me love my children any less though.”

The guys murmur in understanding and agreement, but Louis is still in shock. Harry is talking about having his own children so casually. Like it’s something he’s gone over in his head, daydreamed about even. There’s a small twinge in his chest that Louis ignores. He goes back to his task and catches Zayn staring at him. It’s one of his signature looks Louis is entirely too familiar with. Louis shakes his head, hoping he’ll drop it and goes back to tightening the screw he left off on.

“So how were the Halloween celebrations last night?” Zayn asks, changing the subject but still looking meaningfully at Louis.

Louis freezes, glancing over at Harry who is already watching him. He looks back down at his task, “Oh you know, same as every year. We went to Harry’s work party thing then ended up at Boystown. It was fun.”

“Yeah, it was a good night,” Harry offers. Louis isn’t looking at him and he doesn’t want to because if he does there’s no way in hell Zayn will miss the exchange and then corner Louis somewhere in the house to ask him about it. 

After that, Niall starts talking about how it went at Shawn’s family’s and Louis’ shoulders relax. They get everything done in a couple of hours, but what seems to take the most time is Zayn and Liam trying to decide where they want the furniture to go. 

“You know you still have months before you have to settle on a layout, right?” Louis reminds them annoyed because they’ve been moving furniture back and forth so Zayn can see if he likes how it looks there or not.

Zayn rolls his eyes, “Fine then just leave it. Liam has to go start prepping for dinner anyway.”

The guys walk out of the baby room, but Louis stays behind taking it in. He can’t believe there will be a baby in their group in just a few months. It seems surreal. 

He’s startled by Harry who rushes back into the room. Louis’ heart stops because this is the first time they’ve been alone since they had sex.

Harry laughs, “Sorry I left my phone in here,” he explains going to the bookcase to grab it. Louis nods at him, but Harry stops in front of him. “So I was thinking,” he begins tucking a strand of hair behind his ear, his cheeks going pink. “Maybe last night doesn’t have to be a one off?”

Louis crosses his arms, tilting his head, staring at Harry. “What do you mean?”

Harry licks his lips, “I mean that maybe we can have some sort of agreement. Just sex, between us. No strings attached.” He sounds more confident now, like maybe he’s been practicing what to say in his head.

Louis scratches the back of his head, “Oh okay. Yeah, sure,” it comes out before he can even process Harry’s words. But also, Harry is offering him no strings attached sex, he’d be an idiot not to accept, right?

  
  


Nothing really comes out of the conversation with Harry. The week goes by and the rest of the semester is winding down for Louis. It has felt like he’s been teaching for years rather than just a few months, but in spite of all the stress it’s been worth it. Harry hasn’t been around much. He had to go out of town for a couple of days and he’s also been swamped at work. 

Louis doesn’t notice that Harry’s home until Thursday when he arrives home. He opens the apartment door to find Harry. On the couch. Naked. With a hand wrapped around his cock. Louis’ keys fall to the floor, he slams the door shut with his back and stares with wide eyes.

At first it doesn’t seem like Harry notices that he’s got an audience, but then he looks over his shoulder with heavy lidded eyes and red bitten lips. 

Harry lets go of himself and stands, making his way towards the back of the couch bending over, never letting go of Louis’ gaze. Louis chokes on air when he sees that Harry is wearing a jeweled plug. 

“Please fuck me,” Harry begs. His voice is soft but urgent. It makes Louis wonder how long Harry has been home waiting for him like this. 

Louis palms his crotch to calm the erection he’s already got. He drops his messenger bag, hands flying to undress as fast as possible. His eyes remain glued to Harry’s flushed skin and how desperate he looks for it. 

Harry holds the lube and condom for Louis.

“Look at you so needy for it,” Louis rasps. His hand caresses Harry’s back all the way down to his ass. He rubs each cheek, squeezing it and watching the way the plug moves with the motion. 

“Please Louis,” Harry begs. 

Louis halts his movements, “What do you want?”

At that, Harry stands to face Louis, meeting his eyes with a needy gaze. “I want you to fuck me,” he says, running his thumb along Louis’ bottom lip. Louis can’t help but take Harry’s thumb into his mouth and suck on it. “I want you to be rough. Spank me, pull my hair, anything. I’ll love whatever you give me.” He turns back around presenting himself and rubbing his ass against Louis’ crotch.

“Fuck, okay, okay.” Louis gets the condom on with lube. He slowly removes the plug out of Harry, groaning at how open he is. He can’t help but stick his finger inside. Harry’s so warm, Louis can’t wait to be inside of him. He smacks Harry’s ass cheeks a couple of times relishing in the noises he makes. 

Louis and Harry dabbled in some rough sex back when they were dating and it does something to him knowing that he’s still just as needy for it as he was years ago. He moves Harry’s hips so his dick isn’t touching the couch because he doesn’t need him getting any friction, and wants this to last. Louis slides in with ease, whining at the warm tightness that envelops him. 

He thrusts forward before pulling nearly all the way out then slamming back in. Harry gasps, chanting yes and oh my god that’s so good every time Louis drives in. Louis fists Harry’s hair shoving his hips in and out in a punching rhythm. 

Louis can feel his orgasm building, he can tell that Harry is close so he pulls him by the chin until his head is resting on Louis’ shoulder. He moves his hand down to Harry’s throat pressing hard enough that he’s still getting oxygen.

“You feel so good,” he whispers in Harry’s ear, punctuating his statement with a hard thrust. “Love how you get like this. Let me do whatever I want to you.”

Harry moans, “Yes, fuck. Use me however you want.”

Now it’s Louis’ turn to groan into Harry’s ear. He takes the hand he had on Harry’s hair to stroke his cock. It doesn’t take more than a few times before Harry is coming in Louis’ fist with a shout. Louis shoves Harry down on the back of the couch holding him down between his shoulder blades plunging in faster chasing his own release. He drapes himself over Harry when he comes, breathing down his neck for a few moments before getting the strength to pull out and dispose of the condom. 

He goes into the kitchen to grab Harry a glass of water. “Here drink up,” he tells him.

Harry smiles, thanking him and downing the entire glass. 

“Are you good?” Louis checks in. He can’t help but reach over to adjust Harry’s hair out of his face.

Harry blows air out to move his hair out of the way leaning into Louis’ touch. “Yeah, I’m great. Thanks. For that, I mean. I needed that.”

Louis grins, “Hey I’m up for that any time. Just say the word,” he assures him, moving to pick up his clothes from the floor and putting his messenger bag in a more appropriate place.

Harry laughs, “I will.”

Louis expects this to be awkward and weird. But it ends up feeling very natural. Harry goes to take a shower while Louis cleans up and looks in the fridge to see what they can have for dinner. After Louis showers himself, they settle on the couch with mac and cheese and grilled chicken while they watch some Parks and Recreation like they didn’t just fuck on this very couch.


	18. Chapter 18

**November 2022**

“Okay why don’t I go find the puff pastry and cool whip and you can get the cranberries and potatoes,” Harry offers while going over the list in his hand.

Harry brought it upon himself to take care of Thanksgiving dinner this year, going on and on about how much he loves cooking and insisted he could take care of it. Here they are now, the weekend before Thanksgiving, running around the grocery store like headless chickens trying to finish getting all the ingredients Harry needs. Louis could have just told Harry I told you so and make him deal with it on his own, but then he’ll probably stop getting laid and he can’t let that happen.

It’s been nearly a month since he and Harry began their friends with benefits arrangement. Louis didn’t think they’d make it this long without things getting complicated, but it’s been great. They’ve been doing what they always do as roommates, the only thing different is that they’re getting each other off in the process.

Louis sighs. “Fine, but I’m taking the cart with me,” he declares, walking away, leaving Harry behind. He finds the cranberries right away with no problem and places a couple of containers into the cart. When he looks up to see where the potatoes might be located, he spots a familiar face, making him freeze on the spot.

It’s too late for Louis to make a run for it because as soon as he even considers doing so, he’s spotted. It’s not that Louis never expected to run into Nick Grimshaw, hell he’s a bit surprised it hasn’t happened sooner since they both run around similar friend circles. He supposes there’s never really an appropriate time to run into an ex. Especially one that leaves you on the day of your wedding. 

Nick is walking over to him with a shopping basket propped on his arm. He waves at Louis with a tentative smile on his face. 

“Hey Louis. Fancy seeing you here shopping for Thanksgiving. Are you actually going to cook it yourself?” Nick sports a shocked face as he examines the items in the cart.

Louis’ cheeks go pink, laughing. “Not a chance. Harry’s the one who took on that responsibility, I’m just his victim that he dragged with him.”

At the mention of Harry’s name, recognition colors Nick’s face. “Oh I see. So you and Harry….” he gestures toward Louis with his hand. 

As if he’s been summoned, Harry approaches them, placing the items he found in the cart. When he sees who Louis is talking to, his eyes widen. “Nick, hey.”

Nick smiles, but Louis can tell it’s forced. Louis wants the floor to open up and swallow him right about now. 

“Hey Harry.” There are a few seconds of uncomfortable silence. “So I see you guys finally got your shit together. I always knew you guys would end up back together. I’m happy for you,” Nick expresses, sounding genuine.

Harry moves to say something but Louis interrupts him, “Oh no we’re not together. Harry and I are just roommates,” he feels the need to clarify. He knows Harry is one of the reasons why Nick ended things with Louis and he doesn’t want him to feel like he was right all along. Because he wasn’t.

Nick’s eyebrows wrinkle in confusion. “Roommates?” he looks between them with an unreadable look on his face. “Hmm, well. Either way, it’s good to see you Louis. You look good.”

Louis forces a smile on his face. “Thanks, Nick. So do you. Have a great Thanksgiving, okay?”

Nick nods and walks away without another word. Louis looks over at Harry who’s staring at nothing.

“That was weird,” Louis says to break the awkward moment.

It takes Harry a few seconds but he finally quirks his lips and chuckles. “Yeah. You okay?” he asks, examining Louis’ face.

Louis nods, “I am,” he promises, meaning it. “Now come on, let’s finish looking for this stuff. I’m starting to get a headache.”

Harry crinkles the paper that contains the list and holds it open. “Right, okay.” And just like that they move right along.

  
  
  


Thanksgiving passes and the semester ends for Louis. He meets the group at Benny’s to celebrate surviving it. When he arrives at the bar there’s a small stage where the jukebox usually is and a couple is singing “Endless Love”. Louis finds his friends in their booth with a pint already waiting for him.

“What’s all this?” he asks, gesturing toward the stage.

“Benny thought it would be cool to have karaoke nights to get more people to come to the bar,” Shawn explains. 

“He says he expects all of us to participate if we want to continue being his favorite customers,” Niall adds.

Louis groans.

“Harry already signed us all up,” Zayn informs him.

Louis glares at Harry who is smiling smugly back, “Come on Louis. You’re going to sing with me,” he nudges him.

“I’m going to need a stronger drink for that then,” he declares. Harry goes to the bar without comment to get him his Jack and Coke.

Thankfully the other guys go on before Louis. Niall and Shawn sing “Perfect” by Ed Sheeran. Zayn and Liam sing “Sunflower” by Post Malone. 

“What song are we going to sing?” Louis asks before downing the rest of his third Jack and Coke. He’s starting to loosen up some more by now so he’s not as nervous as he was when he first got here.

“We’re doing “Shallow” from A Star is Born,” Harry announces with a grin. Louis is very aware of the fact that it’s one of Harry’s favorite movies and he’s been roped into watching it with him a handful of times since they’ve been roommates.

“I can live with that,” he says just as they’re being called to the stage.

Louis knows that Harry has a great voice and it really shows as they sing. The crowd is cheering them on, eventually joining them by the second chorus. He turns out to have a lot more fun than he expected.

They take a bow when they finish and jump off the stage. Louis excuses himself to the bathroom to wipe some of the sweat off his face. There’s no one in the men’s room so Louis takes his time grabbing a couple of paper towels, getting them damp and cleaning his face. The door swings open, revealing Harry who is smirking at him through the mirror. He locks the bathroom before hovering behind Louis, wrapping his arms around his waist and kissing him on the neck.

“You were so hot up there. I wanted to put my hands all over you,” Harry whispers into his ear.

Louis shivers, biting his bottom lip to hold in the moan that wants to escape. He pushes his ass back against Harry’s crotch, making Harry groan in response.

“Fuck, I can’t get enough of you, Lou,” Harry mutters before turning him around so that he’s leaning against the sink and undoing his zipper. He drops to his knees letting Louis’ cock spring free when Harry pulls down his boxers and in one swoop he wraps his lips around him.

“Oh shit,” Louis moans, closing his eyes and gripping the edge of the sink so tight his knuckles have probably gone white.

Harry works fast, taking him as far as he can take him, sucking hard and bobbing his head back and forth. Louis knows he’s not going to last long which is what Harry is most likely counting on. The last thing they need is someone knocking on the door and finding them in this predicament. Louis’ hand flies to the back of Harry’s head and fucks into his mouth a few times before he shouts a warning and is coming down his throat. Harry smiles, licking his lips obscenely showing Louis how his come disappears into his mouth.

“You’re something else,” Louis breathes, sticking his thumb into Harry’s mouth to feel the wetness of it. 

Harry jumps to his feet and licks into Louis’ mouth. He can taste himself and that would make him get hard again if he hadn’t just come.

“Come on let’s get back,” Harry rasps.

Louis nods, “Give me a minute, I’m right behind you.” Harry adjusts himself before he unlocks the door and disappears while Louis goes into a stall to tuck himself back into his pants. He washes his hands, running his fingers through his hair before joining the group. Harry hands him another Jack and Coke and they continue enjoying the rest of their night as if he didn’t just blow his brains out. 

The stress of Louis’ first semester as a professor is long forgotten.

  
  


“Are you ever going to tell us where we’re going?” Liam asks from the back seat.

Louis rolls his eyes, shaking his head. “You guys are so fucking impatient. We’ll be there in a few minutes.”

Louis takes the appropriate exit and his heart thunders in his chest. The guys are all here except for Shawn who had a shift at Benny’s. Louis is finally going to reveal what he’s been keeping from his best friends for months.

They pull up to the driveway of Louis’ dream house. He catches sight of his friends staring with curious eyes at it. 

“Who are we visiting? Did your mom move?” Zayn asks.

Louis chuckles, “No.” His mom was the first person to see the house when he first bought it. She was supportive as ever, telling him that she knows Louis will turn it into the house he’s always dreamed of.

They get out of the car and Louis’ hands are shaking. He tries to hide it by stuffing his hands in his coat pockets. There’s a light dusting of snow on the grass. Louis can picture what his house will look like with Christmas lights and decorations on the front lawn.

Louis stands on the top step of the front entrance and faces his friends.

“So I bought this house over the summer. I’ve had all this money and I found my dream home, but it needed a lot of work. It’s been my little project that I’ve been pouring myself into most weekends,” he explains.

His friends’ faces are full of surprise, except for Harry. Louis can’t decipher what Harry’s face is showing, but he’s staring right at him, his gaze unwavering during his spiel. 

“You’ve had this house for months without telling us?” Niall wails. “How did we not know? Guys we’re losing our touch in our invasiveness.”

Louis laughs. “I didn’t want to show you guys until it was ready. The basement still needs some final touches and then I’ll be getting the furniture and stuff moved in. Come on, let me show you guys.”

Lous leads them through the door. His friends are oohing and ahhing at every room he shows them. Pride fills Louis’ chest as he continues walking them through. He shows them the fireplace, the master bedroom and bath, the breakfast nook with windows on every side giving them the perfect view of the yard. 

“Oh also,” Louis pulls out three spare keys out of his pocket. He gives Liam and Zayn one, Niall one and Harry the other. “Here are your keys. You’ll always be welcome.”

Liam and Niall grin and pocket their keys right away but Harry stares at it resting on his palm for a good minute before he snaps out of his little trance and puts it away.

“This is great Louis,” Liam says. He lets his friends roam around on their own. Louis’ face hurts from grinning so much. He excuses himself to examine the basement more closely. They still need to install the carpet and the bar area in the back, but other than that it’s mostly finished. Louis is expecting the furniture to arrive after the holidays. 

When he makes his way back up the stairs, Zayn Liam and Niall are in the living room admiring the fireplace. He looks around to see where Harry has gone. He’s not in Louis’ office or the bathroom. When he walks towards the kitchen, he notices the patio door open. Louis walks over and sees Harry standing on the veranda facing the open back yard with his arms crossed. He stands next to his roommate who hasn’t seemed to notice Louis’ presence. His chin rests on his palm with a pensive look on his face.

“Enjoying the view?” Louis asks.

Harry startles, his arms dropping and placing his hand against his chest. “Fuck, you scared me.”

Louis chuckles. “Sorry, I didn’t think you were zoned out.”

Harry blushes, “Sorry. It’s just. I was just thinking...that’s all,” he murmurs.

“Thinking about what?” Louis can’t help but ask.

Harry’s gaze falls on him, his eyes seem troubled. He opens his mouth but nothing comes out. Before he can even say anything, the rest of the guys are bursting through the door joining them.

“This place is amazing, Louis. You should be proud of yourself for building such a great home,” Zayn says.

Louis’ cheeks turn pink, he shrugs. “I figured I don’t have the husband and children yet, but in the meantime I can start working on the home we’ll be sharing together. It sounds stupid, I know, but…”

“That’s not stupid,” Harry remarks with conviction. “Your husband is going to be the luckiest man in the world.”

Harry’s words settle on Louis uneasily and he doesn’t know why. 

They end up at a diner in the neighborhood for a late lunch. Zayn and Liam talk about their Christmas plans with each other’s families and Niall’s plans are similar now that he’s a married man. 

“I’m gonna go to my mom’s. She invited Harry as well,” Louis shares.

Harry grins, “Yeah. Jay’s letting me cook the ham.”

Zayn’s eyes widen. “Jay’s actually letting you in the kitchen? Did you get her drunk or something?”

They all laugh. “I know right?” Louis adds.

Harry shrugs unbothered. 

“We’re going to host a New Year’s party this year,” Liam announces. “Since it’s our last one before the baby, we want to have everyone over to celebrate. For all we know next year Zayn and I will be in bed by 9pm too exhausted to ring in the new year.”

Louis snorts, “That sounds about right.”

“Either way, we expect you guys to be there,” Zayn continues, he turns to Niall. “Shawn too.” He faces Harry and Louis, “You two are welcome to bring dates,” his eyes fall on Louis specifically. 

Louis shifts his eyes from side to side before furrowing his eyebrows. “Why are you looking at me like that?”

Zayn doesn’t respond for a few seconds before shrugging. “Just saying.”

Louis isn’t in the mood to decode Zayn’s body language. He knows Zayn probably suspects something is going on between him and Harry, but he hasn’t had the balls to bring it up to Louis. And Louis will be damned if he’s the one who brings it up first. He’d rather continue living in complete ignorance as long as Zayn will allow it. Because god only knows he’s not going to stay quiet on the matter much longer.

  
  
  


Harry and Louis drive down to his family’s house on Louis’ birthday. They celebrated as a group the night before at Benny’s. Louis didn’t want to do anything big because a lot of his savings was spent on his dream home, so they had drinks at the bar before having a low key dinner at Louis’ favorite restaurant. The guys brought a cake from his favorite bakery and sang Happy Birthday. It was embarrassing and lovely at the same time.

Louis made sure not to get too drunk, not wanting to be nursing a hangover at his mother’s house. They loaded up the car with gifts and overnight bags before making the short trip to the suburbs. 

“Hello my darlings,” Jay greets them at the door. She hugs Louis, kissing him on the cheek, “Happy Birthday, honey.”

“Thanks mom.”

They unload the car and place all the gifts under the Christmas tree which is already overloaded with wrapped presents. 

“Go put your bags away, brunch is ready. The girls are setting up the table,” Jay tells them. “Louis, I put an air mattress in the guest room for you.”

Louis does as he’s told and leads Harry into said bedroom. After taking off their coats and settling in they join the rest of the family in the dining room. There’s an entire feast consisting of many of Louis’ favorite foods.

“Wow, Mom, you didn’t have to do all this. You still have to prep for tomorrow,” Louis says.

His mom is quick to wave him off. “You let me worry about that. Today is all about you. Now sit and eat. You too, Harry.”

After everyone eats, Harry joins Jay in the kitchen to help her with tomorrow’s dinner while Louis hangs out with his sisters and brother watching a holiday movie in the living room. They go through all the classics, taking a break in between to have some hot chocolate and cookies. 

Lottie arrives with Tom and their daughter Emilia just in time for dinner. She’s grown up so much in the last few months since he last saw her. He can’t believe she’ll be two years old in the Spring.

“Hey munchkin!” Louis beams. 

Emilia says something unintelligible, but Louis swears it sounded a lot like Uncle Louis or something in that realm. He wraps his arms around her as soon as Lottie takes her coat off and lifts her, twirling around making her giggle happily. He kisses her on top of her head before putting her back on the floor. 

Harry greets Lottie and her husband and meets Emilia for the first time. By the time Emilia had been born, Louis and Harry weren’t together anymore and Nick had been the one to come along and meet his baby niece for the first time. 

“Hey Emilia. I’ve heard so much about you!” Harry gushes. Emilia shyly hides behind Louis, her hand holding his tight.

“Say hi to Harry, Emilia. He’s been so excited to meet you, love,” Louis encourages his niece.

Emilia smiles, waving her head. “Hi.”

Harry beams, grinning so wide as if Emilia made his day by one simple word. 

“Dan is on his way over with pizzas,” Jay announces.

“Pizza!” Emilia cheers.

Lottie rolls her eyes fondly, “You won’t eat the food I make, but pizza you cheer for.”

When it arrives, everyone grabs some pizza and settles back in the living room, continuing their holiday movie marathon. It’s comfortable and Louis always misses his family most when they’re all like this together. Even with Harry here, it feels like he’s always been a part of it. Always belonged.

Louis offers to take everyone’s paper plates back to the kitchen to dispose of them. His mom is there, packing up the leftover pizza into some foil. 

“Are you enjoying yourself?” Jay asks.

Louis smiles warmly, unable to help himself, “I really am. Do you need help with anything?”

Again Jay waves him off. “Don’t be silly dear. It’s your birthday, all you need to do is relax and be happy.” She rubs his back comfortingly. 

Louis kisses her on the cheek, “Love you, mom,” he mutters before joining the rest of the group back in the living room. He pauses by the entryway when he catches sight of Emilia with Harry on the floor in the middle of the living room. They’re playing with Emilia’s princess set that stays at his mom’s house for whenever she visits. Harry is wearing a plastic crown, a pink feather boa and he’s drinking imaginary tea out of a teacup, sticking his pinky out and everything. He’s grinning so widely as he makes his accent extra British, talking about proper princess etiquette. Emilia is eating it all up, her laughter echoing throughout the room. It all fills Louis’ heart with so much joy he might burst.

They eventually call it a night. Lottie, Tom and Emilia get the basement all to themselves. Louis helps them blow up the air mattresses before kissing his niece goodnight and heading up to his own room. Harry is there, inflating his air mattress.

“I hope you don’t think you’re sleeping on the floor,” Louis comments as he closes the bedroom door. “You have a bad back and that air mattress isn’t gonna do you any favors.”

Harry rolls his eyes, “I’ll be fine, Louis. I’m not going to put you out of your bed just because I’m tagging along to Christmas with your family.”

“Hey, don’t say it like that. You know my mom thinks the world of you. You’ll always be welcome no matter what,” Louis assures him. “But I’m serious. You’re taking the bed. If my mom finds out you slept on the floor she’s going to hit me upside the head.”

Harry sighs, “Fine.”

Louis grabs his pajamas and toothbrush before going to the ensuite to wash up. When he returns there’s a thin box wrapped with a red bow on it resting in Harry’s hands. He’s sat on the bed with a smile on his face watching Louis come out.

“We’re exchanging gifts already?” He asks.

Harry chuckles, “Not quite. Well, kind of. I didn’t give you a birthday gift and I hate combining your birthday and Christmas gifts into one. But I promise it’s worth it,” he explains giving him the box.

Louis sits next to Harry. The box hardly weighs anything. It’s probably a gift certificate or something.

“Thanks Harry. You know you didn’t have to do this.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” Harry waves him off, “shut up and open it.”

Louis does as he’s told, ripping the wrapping paper and opening the box. Inside is a plane ticket to London. His head snaps up in surprise, “Haz, this is too much.”

Harry puts his hand on his to stop him, “It’s not. I’m going to England for my birthday and I wanted you to come with me. You’ve never met my family, and I know they’ve been wanting to meet you for years.”

Louis looks back down at the ticket. It’s scheduled to leave a few days before Harry’s birthday and set to return a couple of days after. He’s sure it won’t be an issue to have the time off work. It just all feels like too much. Louis never got around to meeting Harry’s family in person. Yes, they FaceTimed back when they were boyfriends, and occasionally he’ll walk in on Harry talking to his sister or mom and he’ll say hello. But actually being in England and getting to see them in the flesh? 

Then Louis looks around him, in his mother’s guest room where Harry just spent an entire day with his own family, fitting in just right. It hasn’t been the only time and it won’t be the last. 

Louis grins, squeezing Harry’s hand. “I can’t wait to finally meet them in person,” he promises.

The grin on Harry’s face is so wide it brightens up the entire room. He pulls Louis into a hug, “Thank you.”

He’s not sure what exactly Harry is thanking him for but if it makes him look this happy, Louis is willing to do anything to keep it that way. 

  
  
  


New Year’s Eve is a whole ordeal. It’s a black tie event bringing the fancy out of everyone. Louis hasn’t worn a tuxedo since his failed wedding. It’s Navy blue with a black bowtie. Harry looks amazing in his own ensemble going for a purple velvet suit with a pink button down and the top two buttons undone to reveal some of his chest. 

“Shit, Harry. Let’s get out of here before I get you out of that suit and never make it to the party,” Louis says, running his hands down Harry’s arms and kissing him on the lips. 

It’s not the first time they kiss outside of the bedroom, but neither has brought it up so Louis just goes with it. They get to Zayn and Liam’s and it’s completely transformed. There’s black, silver and gold decorations all throughout the house. A DJ is set up in the living room and a full bar with a bartender in the dining room. Waiters walk by guests with trays full of cocktails and hors d'oeuvres. The person by the door takes their coats and they make their way inside to find their friends. 

They sweep the room greeting friends and Liam and Zayn’s families. Shawn and Niall are at the bar waiting for drinks when they step into the dining room. 

“Hey guys. Where are your dates?” Niall asks with confusion on his face. 

Harry and Louis briefly look at each other, “Don’t have one,” Louis shrugs.

“Me either,” Harry adds. 

Zayn and Liam join them, “Hello,” Zayn says, giving them once overs as if to see if he approves of their attire. Zayn looks ridiculously handsome in an all black ensemble while Liam compliments him in a white suit and light grey button down.

“You guys clean up well,” Louis tells them, lifting his cocktail toward them. 

“Thanks. Zayn picked out my suit,” Liam admits.

“Zayn has good taste,” Harry smirks.

Zayn smiles smugly, “I know,” he comments, hooking his arm into Liam’s. “Where are your dates?”

Louis huffs, “I didn’t know dates were required.”

“They’re not, but it would have been cool to have us all paired up for the new year,” Zayn says, staring at Louis pointedly shifting his eyes between Harry and Louis. Fuck, so he’s confirming Louis’ suspicions that he knows. He’s sure Zayn is challenging him to say something, but he’s not going to.

“I’m a strong independent man and all that,” he responds, downing the rest of his drink.

The more Louis drinks the louder the music and the people seem to get. He’s caught up in a conversation with Liam’s sister, then he’s pulled into a debate about Marvel movies with some people he’s never even met. Louis finds his way to the bathroom at some point to break the seal and he finds Harry at the bottom of the stairs on his way back. He has a bottle of champagne in one hand and a glowing grin on his face.

Harry takes Louis’ hand. “Come on,” is all he says before he’s being led through the crowd and towards the patio.

“What are we doing? It’s cold outside,” Louis says, rubbing at his arms as soon as the cold hits.

“We’ll only be out here for a few minutes you big baby,” Harry retorts. He pops the bottle of champagne open and takes a swig before handing it over to Louis.

Louis takes it and takes a long sip hoping the alcohol will help warm him up.

“So are you going to at least tell me what we’re doing outside when the party is inside?” Louis asks.

Harry’s eyes fall on him and his lips curve into a soft smile. “I didn’t want to risk anyone stealing my midnight kiss,” he murmurs. And just as he says that, the crowd inside can be heard starting to chant the countdown.

Louis smiles back, taking another gulp of champagne.

“HAPPY NEW YEAR!” 

Harry pulls Louis into him and kisses him. His lips taste like champagne and cherries, making Louis deepen the kiss by licking into Harry’s mouth. He makes himself pull away before it goes any further, knowing he won’t be able to control his urges when it comes to Harry.

“Happy New Year, Harry,” he breathes against his lips.

Harry pecks him on the lips, “Happy New Year, Lou.”

They wrap their arms around each other for a moment as the sound of fireworks going off in the distance break the silence that has fallen between them. 

Louis knows in this moment that this thing with Harry is more than casual. And right now, he doesn’t care enough to want to stop it. 

By the time they head back to the apartment Louis has sobered up enough to get them home. The drive is quiet but comfortable. There are still people out on the streets and it takes Louis even longer than normal to find parking. They end up having to walk a few blocks back to their apartment and Louis finds that he doesn’t really mind it.

Louis follows Harry into his room without having to say anything. Harry resumes their kiss from earlier, taking Louis between his hands to taste him. Louis reaches for Harry’s blazer, managing to take it off without breaking their kiss. Harry does the same to him. They’re in no rush this time, making out for what feels like hours as they carefully undress each other until they’re down to their boxers. Those come off before they lay in bed together.

Harry hovers above Louis, his hands on each side of his face. He’s looking down at him in such an intense way it almost makes Louis avert his eyes, but for now he’s done overthinking and just lets go. Louis pulls Harry down, kissing him hungrily and caressing his cheeks as he does. Instead of dirty and rough, it’s soft and tender in a way that brings Louis back to a time when he was in love with the man above him. The man he’s currently aching for more than anything.

They haven’t said a word to each other, but it feels like they don’t need to because they’re communicating everything with their bodies instead. Harry reaches over for the lube and condom before resuming their kissing. Louis doesn’t know when it happens, but suddenly Harry is breaching his hole with one wet finger. It’s slow and careful.

Louis sighs as he watches Harry work. When Harry adds a second finger he looks up to watch Louis’ reaction. Louis moans, biting his bottom lip and encouraging Harry to keep going with a nod. By the time the third finger makes its way through, Louis is writhing on the bed, his hands reaching for anything he can get his hands on to keep him grounded. He ends up grabbing a pillow and covering his face with it so that he can muffle his moans. 

When Harry pulls his fingers out, Louis moves the pillow to see him. He’s already got the condom on, his hand on Louis’ knee to move his leg to make more room. Harry drops down to kiss him deeply, like it’s the only thing he wants to be doing for the rest of his life. He pushes in while they’re still licking into each other’s mouths and Louis moans into it. It feels so good and not enough at the same time. Louis reaches to grab Harry’s ass to help him get in faster because he wants him as close as he possibly can. When he’s all the way in, they’re both panting against each other’s mouths. Louis looks down to see them connected, their chests flushed and already covered in sweat.

Louis lets go of Harry’s ass and wraps his legs around his waist. He also wraps his arms around Harry’s neck refusing to let him go any time soon. Harry thrusts slowly but with purpose. His gaze is focused on Louis like he’s the most important person in the world. It’s so overwhelming, Louis’ throat tightens. He kisses Harry to distract himself.

Harry fucks with determination, always careful and making sure his lover is the focus and tonight isn’t any different. He reaches for Louis’ dick, stroking him in tandem with his thrusts. Their kissing continues and Louis’ noises get higher and more desperate as his orgasm builds. Harry kisses Louis’ cheeks, working his way down to kiss his neck and collarbones. When Harry looks back, his stare is unwavering like he’s willing Louis to come. So he does, painting their chests in the process. Harry follows not long after. He disposes of the condom and wipes them down with some wet wipes before wrapping Louis in his arms and kissing his shoulder.

They don’t speak for the rest of the night and neither of them makes a move to get dressed. Louis doesn’t want to go back to his bedroom and with the way that Harry’s hold on him tightens around his waist he guesses Harry doesn’t either. So Louis covers them with the duvet and rests his head on Harry’s pillow, letting sleep overtake him. 

He’ll worry about the implications of the night another day.


	19. Chapter 19

**February 2023**

Harry and Louis fly into London a few days before Harry’s birthday. Harry claims he didn’t want to overwhelm him with his family straight off the bat and he wanted to show Louis around the city before they head to Holmes Chapel. 

They do all the touristy things Harry can think of like visiting Buckingham Palace and the London Eye. Harry takes into consideration Louis’ love for architecture so he takes him around to the most amazing buildings the city has to offer. He takes pictures of everything wanting to capture every memory for years to come.

Roaming through London reminds Louis of when he first met Harry. He was new to the city and Louis showed him around Chicago like Millenium Park and Navy Pier. Being here with him feels like it’s all come full circle in a way by getting to know Harry’s origins.

Harry rented them an Airbnb in Covent Garden. They are not in it much, basically just to sleep because they’re up bright and early to explore as much of the city as they can.

The morning of Harry’s birthday Louis wakes up earlier than he planned to, but a notification on his phone startles him out of sleep. He grabs his cell with bleary eyes and sees an email from his contractor. The house is officially done. Louis left his mom in charge while he’s out of the country to receive the furniture he was having delivered this week. It was the one thing he couldn’t reschedule for his trip. His mom assured him she would take care of it and to not worry about a thing and just enjoy his trip. 

Moving into his house is one of the last things on his mind right now. Not only because he’s in England but because he doesn’t want to think about moving out of the apartment. Away from Harry.

Louis turns to a sleeping Harry who didn’t even twitch at the sound of his phone. He’s snoring softly and Louis can’t help but smile watching him. The room they rented was small and cheap, both of them willing to share a bed to save some money and Louis has no regrets. He rolls out of bed trying his best not to wake the birthday boy so he can use the bathroom. 

Harry flutters his eyes open as Louis comes out of the bathroom, a warm sleepy smile on his face. 

“Happy Birthday,” he chirps, hopping on the bed, Harry’s body bouncing with the movement. 

Harry stretches his arms above his head and yawns, “Thanks.”

Louis places his hand on Harry’s bare chest, feeling his warm skin beneath his fingers. He’d love nothing more than to fuck him right now, but they have a train to catch in about an hour.

“How do you feel about showering together so we can save some time?” Louis suggests wiggling his eyebrows.

The birthday boy smirks, “Saving time, huh?” 

“Of course, why else?” Louis says coyly. 

Harry grabs the hand on his chest and squeezes it. “Alright then, let’s go.”

“Wow that was easy. I was ready to strip for you to try and convince you.” 

“Get in the shower,” Harry says, slapping Louis’ ass as he walks away.

Louis can’t help himself when he drops to his knees in the shower to give Harry a blowjob. It’s his birthday, okay? Maybe they would have saved more time if they took separate showers, though.

They manage to catch their train right on time. After they board and find their seats, Louis’ nerves start getting to him. He knows Harry’s mom and sister like him, they always seem happy to see or hear from him but he still can’t help but hope that their opinion of him remains the same when they meet him face to face. Even though he and Harry are no longer dating, it feels like he’s meeting his boyfriend’s family for the first time. 

Harry must sense Louis’ apprehension because halfway through the ride to Holmes Chapel, he grabs his hand, interlacing their fingers. He doesn’t let go for the rest of the ride. When the train arrives at their stop, Harry whispers in his ear, “They’re going to love you.” Those simple words ease some of the tension that Louis had in his shoulders. 

Gemma is waiting for them at the station when they exit the train. Louis knew she was beautiful, but in person she’s even more radiant. She bears a striking resemblance to Harry, flashing her own dimpled smile. She’s got her arms open wide and running into her younger brother as soon as she sees them.

“I missed you little brother. Happy Birthday! How was your trip?” she asks, rubbing his back and kissing him on the cheek. She turns to Louis and if possible her smile gets even more blinding. “Louis! Wow, you’re so much hotter in person,” she pulls him into a hug before Louis can even respond. Her hug is warm and comforting, he can’t help but sink into the embrace.

“Hi Gemma. It’s nice to finally meet you in person. You’re not so bad yourself,” Louis says as they break apart. She shoves him playfully and leads them to her awaiting car.

“Come on. Mum is dying to meet you, Louis,” she looks over at Harry, “And Harry, she’s got all the photo albums ready and waiting to show them off.”

Harry groans, lifting his head up to the sky. “Oh no.”

Louis rubs his hands together, “This should be fun.”

The drive to Harry’s family’s home isn’t far from the station. Holmes Chapel is a lovely town from what he sees as he gazes through the window. Louis can imagine Harry growing up in a place like this. It suits him very well.

Gemma parks in front of a quaint one story brick home. Harry had mentioned that the house used to belong to his grandmother on his mother’s side which Anne later inherited when she passed away. It has been passed down through many generations and since Harry has insisted that he’ll most likely never permanently move back to England, the house will go to Gemma when the time comes. Harry expressed he’s more than okay with that as long as he gets his own room to visit whenever he wants.

They unload their bags and a beautiful woman with dark shoulder length hair is smiling at them at the door waving. Louis is beginning to think dimples run in the family. Dimples and beauty it seems.

“Happy Birthday, love,” she greets, kissing Harry on the cheek. She turns to Louis, “Louis darling! I’m glad you’re finally able to come see us. I was beginning to think you were a figment of our imagination.”

Louis laughs and wraps Anne in a hug. “I’m very real I can assure you. It’s nice to finally meet you,” he says into her hair. She smells like lavender shampoo. Anne’s warmth reminds him a lot of his mother. He thinks they’d make great friends if they ever met.

Anne places her hands on Louis’ cheeks, “Aw you too, dear,” she kisses him on his cheek. “Come in, come in. We’ve been waiting for you boys. I’ve got Harry’s favorite roast warming in the oven.”

“Oh my god. I love roast,” Harry moans.

Anne shows Louis the guest room where he’ll be staying pointing to him where the towels are in case he wants to shower. Harry’s bedroom is right across the hall. It’s like it’s stuck in time. Louis can picture a teenage Harry living in the small space. There are movie and band posters still hanging on the walls as well as awards for Harry’s soccer team.

“You were on the soccer team? With your clumsiness?”

Harry elbows Louis playfully. “Shut up. And it’s football Mr. America. We’re on the other side of the pond now.” His accent is so much thicker since they’ve arrived, it’s been fun to witness.

Louis rolls his eyes, “Oh my god, I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he tries in his best valley girl voice making Harry giggle.

“Come on you wanker. Let’s go eat. Get ready for the best roast of your life,” he promises Louis.

“Better than the one you make back home?”

Harry scoffs, “Of course. Mine’s got nothing on Mum’s.”

The food is amazing. They eat Sunday roast with all the fixings. Anne puts the kettle on for tea and they bring out a cake to sing Happy Birthday to Harry which makes him fucking glow, especially with the candles reflected against his skin.

“Don’t forget to make a wish,” Louis reminds him.

Harry’s eyes flick to his lips curving into a smile. He closes his eyes and blows the candles. 

“What did you wish for?” Louis asks when Anne takes the cake to cut it into slices.

Harry shakes his head. “Can’t tell you or it won’t come true.”

The next morning, Harry bursts into Louis’ room making him wake up, claiming he’s going to give him a tour of the town. Harry looks so cozy with the beanie on his head, the wool sweater and purple rain boots (or wellies like Harry keeps proclaiming they’re actually called). Louis goes for his own beanie, his favorite blue Adidas hoodie and sneakers before following Harry out the door. 

Harry shows him where he went to school both primary and sixth form. He takes him to the spot where he had his first kiss with a girl.

“It was quite steamy,” he claims, stuffing his hands into his jeans.

“I’m sure it was,” Louis retorts, following him through the forest trail. They end up at Harry’s favorite pub where they have a pint of his favorite beer that he claims is better than anything they can ever have in the US. Harry orders them some fish and chips for lunch. 

“It doesn’t feel real that you’re actually here,” Harry comments as he takes a chip and shoves it in his mouth. “I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn’t dreaming.”

“It was bound to happen. We’ve always talked about coming to meet your family,” Louis says then takes a sip of his beer “All the guys have,” he adds as an afterthought.

“Yeah, but,” Harry hesitates, looking conflicted as if he’s wondering whether he should say what’s on his mind. Louis waits for him to articulate his thoughts. “Okay so before we broke up, I had got us tickets to come here,” a wave of guilt passes through Louis. “But then it didn’t work out so I had buried the idea that it would ever happen. My family means the world to me and I would love nothing more than to have all of you guys together in the same place. It’s just, I’m really happy you’re here is all. And I can’t wait till the rest of the group can make it as well.”

Harry’s words make Louis take pause. He remembers their breakup and how Harry came here for Christmas to see his family. The fact that Harry had been planning on bringing Louis along with him makes his chest tighten. He would have loved to go back then, just how he loves being here now. They may not be together anymore, but it still feels right, comfortable.

“Well, I can’t wait to brag all about it to the guys when we get back to Chicago,” Louis says to lighten the mood a bit.

Harry grins. “I have no doubt you will.”

Before they know it their time in England comes to an end and they have to wake up at the ass crack of dawn to catch their flight back to Chicago. Gemma drives them to the airport in Manchester and they hug her goodbye.

“Bye Louis. Don’t be a stranger, alright?” she says.

“I won’t,” he assures her before kissing her on the cheek. “Bye Gems.”

Their trip back home feels three times longer than their trip to England. They have a two hour layover in Amsterdam and another one in Atlanta before they finally make it to Chicago in the evening. Louis is beyond exhausted, but Harry advises him to stay up until his regular bedtime to help him with jet lag. 

They text their group chat to let the guys know they made it safe and sound. Harry orders them Thai for dinner and they watch an Avengers movie to help pass the time before they can go to bed. By the end of the movie, they’re putting their leftovers away and bidding each other goodnight.

Harry and Louis meet the guys at Benny’s the next evening.

“Hey what did you bring me?” Niall asks in lieu of a greeting making grabby hands at them. Louis smacks them away.

“Hello to you too Niall. Our trip was great, thanks for asking,” Harry chides before pulling out a bag with souvenirs passing them around to their appropriate recipients.

“I didn’t get you anything,” Louis tells him. Niall makes an affronted sound, making him laugh. “Just kidding. I was too lazy to bring it. I’ll give it to you later.”

“Too lazy? You live right  _ upstairs, _ ” Niall squawks. Louis just shrugs and changes the subject.

“ _ Anyway,  _ so how was the trip?” Zayn asks.

Harry and Louis tell them everything from London to all the places Harry showed Louis in Holmes Chapel.

“How are things on this side of the pond?” Harry inquires. “Any updates on Babywatch 2023?”

“Our surrogate has been experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions, which is normal. Other than that there’s not much to report,” Liam replies.

“I can’t believe there’s only like weeks left to go,” Louis comments.

Zayn and Liam share a nervous look. “We know.”

“You guys got any plans for Valentine’s Day?” Zayn asks when the conversation has begun to die down.

“Well since Shawn’s not here,I can tell you guys that I’m planning on surprising him with a weekend getaway. I know he’s been stressing out with law school and stuff so I want to help him escape for a few days to unwind,” Niall informs them.

Louis sometimes forgets that Niall is a married man. He and Shawn are always all over each other and look so fucking happy. It’s hard to believe that Niall is the man who used to scoff at long term relationships and commitment. He used to sleep around so much, Louis and the guys had trouble keeping up with his conquest of the day. As soon as Shawn walked into their lives, Niall did a full 180 and now not only is he in love, but he’s happily married and planning to take his husband on a weekend getaway because he’s been having a stressful time at school. Louis never thought Niall would be married before him. If anything, everyone thought Louis would be the first of the group to commit to someone forever because he’d always been obsessed with love and finding the one. 

He glances at Harry who is giving Niall some suggestions of where he can take Shawn. The man Louis believed was the love of his life. Could it be that all these confusing feelings and thoughts for Harry are some sort of lingering repressed love that Louis never fully let go of? He thinks about Harry’s aversion to children and marriage years ago and wonders if he still feels the same way about it. Lately he’s been making comments that have left Louis thinking that maybe his stance has changed. But if it has changed, wouldn’t Harry have already been married too? Instead he’s just as single as Louis, having casual sex with no plan of changing anything about it.

“Louis?” Zayn’s annoyed voice breaks him from his thoughts. It sounds like they’ve been trying to get his attention for a while now.

“Sorry what?”

Zayn looks at him pointedly. “We were asking if you had any plans for Valentine’s Day,” he explains.

“Oh nah,” he responds, taking a sip of his beer. “It’s on a weekday and I have work anyway, so it will be just like any other day for me.”

“What about you Harry?” Liam asks.

Harry shrugs looking down at his hands as he rips up a napkin, “I’ve got work too, so no.”

The conversation moves on to something else and through it all Louis catches Zayn watching him on several instances throughout the rest of the night. By the looks of it, Zayn isn’t going to let him get away with avoiding him any longer. 

“Louis you haven’t come by to pick up Emilia’s Christmas gift. At this point it’s going to become her birthday present. Come by and get it by tomorrow, yeah?” Zayn tells him with no room to argue. There’s no gift for Emilia. He already got it and gave it to his niece weeks ago.

Louis downs the rest of the beer he has in the bottle. “Yeah of course.”

  
  
  


Louis isn’t even through the front door when Zayn begins his interrogation.

“So, when did you and Harry start sleeping together?”

“Shh! Don’t let Liam hear you!” Louis whisper shouts.

Zayn rolls his eyes, “Liam isn’t home. It’s just you and me and you’re not getting away with avoiding me today. Now come on, help me fold all the baby clothes I just washed.”

“You washed baby clothes?” Louis asks following Zayn through the house.

“Yeah. All the stuff we got at the baby shower and stuff we’ve bought. Had to wash it all in case the baby comes early,” Zayn explains.

They get to the nursery and there’s several laundry hampers full of clothes. They sit on the carpet and begin folding while Zayn waits for Louis to answer his question.

“It was the night we went out for Halloween,” Louis begins.

Zayn pauses, looking up with wide eyes. “Halloween? Fuck. I thought it started around Thanksgiving. At least that’s when I started noticing something was up between you two.”

Louis shakes his head. “Nope. It just kind of happened I guess. We were out having a blast. We got drunk. You know, he kissed me when we were in Vegas.”

“He did?”

“Yeah. We were interrupted by Niall’s call telling us he got married and we just pretended like it never happened. Then weeks later we’re in the middle of a dance floor at the club and Harry is telling me he wants to kiss me, so I let him. He said it doesn’t have to mean anything and we agreed to keep it casual and nothing more.”

Zayn scoffs, dropping the Batman onesie he had in his hands. “Louis, with you and Harry it can never be casual. He is the love of your life for god’s sake.”

Louis furrows his eyebrows, “Is? You mean he  _ was _ the love of my life. Now he’s just my best friend and roommate who I occassionally fuck. He stopped being the love of my life years ago.”

“You are such an idiot,” Zayn declares with no more explanation, going back to his folding.

“What? Why?” Louis squawks.

Sighing, Zayn stares at him, “Louis. I am about to be responsible for a tiny human. I don’t have time for your obliviousness and your bullshit, so I’m going to leave that one for you to figure out on your own. You’ll get it eventually. I hope.”

Louis is still puzzled by Zayn’s words but he continues helping with folding and putting the baby clothes away in the dresser and hanging some of them in the closet. By the time they’re done, Louis feels like a weight has been lifted off his shoulders and he doesn’t know why.

Zayn wraps his arm around his shoulders. “Look Louis. I love you, and I love Harry. I just want you guys to be happy, okay? Don’t ever forget that. No matter what ends up happening, you know we’re always here. Even when our baby arrives, we’ll always make time for you.”

Louis nods as Zayn leads them out of the nursery and into the kitchen to make some sandwiches. He makes them a cup of coffee and they talk for a while at the kitchen table. Zayn tells him all about the baby names he and Liam have been going over, admitting that they haven’t decided on anything yet.

“I think we’re just going to have to wait until we see them and then we’ll know what name to give them, you know?” Zayn explains.

Liam gets home not long after and they end up in the living room watching a movie. It’s nice because it’s been so long since Louis has hung out with Liam and Zayn alone like old times. He knows he won’t get to do this once the baby arrives, not that he has an issue with that at all. 

  
  
  


Valentine’s Day falls on a Tuesday and Louis teaches three classes and has a departmental meeting. His colleagues invite him to happy hour at a bar downtown. He figures having a few drinks after work won’t hurt, it’s not like he has a date tonight anyway.

The bar is packed, but they manage to find a place to sit. Louis doesn’t get many opportunities to get to know his co-workers outside of work and he finds himself having a good time. At one point in the evening his phone dies so he prays that the baby doesn’t decide to be born today or else he’ll hate himself. 

Ted and Robin ask him all sorts of questions. A lot about his history with architecture and he tells them all about the Simon Cowell nightmare that was his old job. He proudly explains that he was the project manager and shows them the building he designed. His co-workers marvel at his work and they go on their own little tangents on their life experiences. 

Louis doesn’t miss the way Robin and Ted flirt with each other throughout the evening. He’s starting to think he was invited as a sort of buffer in case they didn’t hit it off so things wouldn’t get awkward. Noticing that things seem to be going well for them, Louis asks Ted for the time and realizes that it’s nearly 9pm.

“Well, I should get going. We should do this again sometime,” hopefully not with Ted and Robin eye fucking each other he doesn’t say. 

Louis takes the L back to his apartment which thankfully doesn’t take too long. When he gets home, he finds a soft looking Harry in his flannel pajamas and Rolling Stones t-shirt with the holes in it.

“Hello,” Louis greets, locking up and putting his keys away.

Harry looks over his shoulder, his face relaxing, “Hey Louis, where have you been? I tried texting you.”

“Oh fuck. Sorry, Haz. My phone died. I was out with some co-workers for happy hour. Turns out Ted was just trying to get with Robin and was using me to ask her to hang out. Wait, didn’t you have work today?”

Harry shakes his head, “Nah I ended up getting the day off.”

Louis disappears into his room to get rid of his work clothes and get into something more comfortable. Harry is watching Queer Eye in the living room when he comes back out and heads over to the kitchen. He opens the fridge and finds some food stored in some tupperware. Louis lifts the lid to examine its contents. There are mashed potatoes, stuffed chicken breasts and asparagus.

“Did you cook this?” Louis asks, gesturing toward the container from the kitchen doorway so Harry sees what he’s talking about.

Harry looks up for a moment before staring back at the TV, “Uh yeah. I had time to cook a real meal, so I did.”

It looks like more than that to Louis, but he doesn’t comment on it. Not only does he not want Harry to feel like he’s being put on the spot, he doesn’t want to make a big deal about it. Harry most likely meant nothing by it. Louis warms the food up in the microwave and while he waits he goes to his room to charge his phone. As soon as he plugs it in, it comes to life and sure enough there are several messages from Harry asking him if he’s on his way and telling him he has a surprise. It makes Louis feel bad even though he knows it’s not his fault that his phone died. 

Louis hears the chime of the microwave, so he gets his plate together and joins Harry on the couch. The food is delicious just like everything Harry cooks and he tells him so, making his roommate blush. They watch an episode of Queer Eye together and when Louis is done eating, he cleans up in the kitchen. 

“Come here,” Louis says, pulling Harry into his bedroom and pushing him onto the bed. “Take off your clothes and lie still,” he instructs, before he disappears into the bathroom to brush his teeth. 

When Louis returns he finds Harry on the bed still as ever like the good boy that he is. He reaches into his messenger bag to pull out a box of candy hearts he got at work. Louis hides them behind his back, not wanting Harry to see what he has in store just yet.

“Put your hands above your head and close your eyes. I don’t want you to move until I tell you, okay?” Louis asks.

Harry nods, swallowing hard, Louis doesn’t miss the way his Adam’s apple moves in his neck. “O-okay.”

Louis opens the box of candy and takes out a candy heart. It’s green and it says “True Love” on it. He places it in Harry’s belly button before pulling another one out. This one is pink and says “Forever”. He puts that one on Harry’s stomach in the middle of his butterfly tattoo. Louis continues doing this again and again, until Harry’s body is littered with the candy from his neck all the way down to the bottoms of his legs. They’re lined up with a good amount of space between them. 

“Okay, you can open your eyes,” Louis announces.

Harry doesn’t open them right away, like he’s bracing himself to see Louis’ work. His eyes blink slowly and his gaze travels down his body without moving his head because Louis asked him not to move until he was allowed. Harry licks his lips before meeting Louis’ stare.

“I’m going to have you for dessert, is that okay?”

“God, yes,” is Harry’s breathy response.

Louis smiles at his eagerness. He takes his time taking off his clothes. As much as he can’t wait to get his mouth on Harry, he also loves watching the way his breathing quickens in anticipation and his chest rises and falls moving the candies with it. 

His eyes travel up and down Harry’s body one more time, admiring his handiwork. Louis starts by Harry’s feet where the last of the candies were placed right above them. He takes a yellow candy into his mouth on his left leg, licking Harry’s skin in the process before looking up at him so he sees as he crunches the candy in his mouth. He’s never been the biggest fan of candy hearts, but after tonight he definitely will. Louis does the same with Harry’s right leg, licking his skin before taking a blue candy into his mouth. The same goes for Harry’s knees, one at a time he licks, bites and kisses eating the candy along the way.

Louis’ favorite one is the candy he placed in Harry’s belly button. He dips his tongue to retrieve the green candy, licking a circle around his skin and chewing on the candy. 

Harry makes the best little noises. There are gasps and whines with every candy Louis takes. They’re both so hard by the time Louis reaches Harry’s neck. When he takes that candy, chews it and swallows, he goes back to that spot to suckle on the skin and leaves a red, purpling bruise behind.

“Louis, please,” Harry begs. His body trembling, like he’s dying to move, to reach out and touch Louis.

“What is it baby? What do you want?” Louis stares into Harry’s eyes which are nothing but blown pupils. 

Harry bites his lip and groans. “You. I just want you,” he breathes. 

Louis drops down to lick into his mouth. He’s sure Harry can taste the sweetness of the candy on his tongue. Louis moves his way back down trailing kisses along Harry’s body and settling on his nipples. He takes one nub into his mouth and sucks hard before licking it again then doing the same to the other one. 

After he gets the lube to begin opening him up Louis moves toward Harry’s hole and gasps. 

“Harry, fuck.” Louis touches the plug nestled inside of him.

Harry’s cheeks flush, “I thought I’d prep just in case.”

Louis chuckles and tugs on the plug gently before it’s completely out. Harry whines at the loss, but Louis replaces the emptiness with his lube coated fingers to make sure he’s nice and wet. 

“Turn around on your hands and knees,” he instructs. Harry eagerly obliges while Louis slips the condom on and lubes up.

Louis will never tire of this feeling, with Harry’s heat wrapped around his cock so warm and tight. He wants to write poems and sonnets about it, sing songs and shout it from the rooftops about it, it’s overwhelming. 

Louis' thrusts are steady, letting Harry adjust to him before he drills into him faster. He wraps his arms around Harry’s chest and moves him so his back is against Louis’ chest and doesn’t let go. Louis can feel the rapid beat of Harry’s heart against his hand, using that rhythm to continue moving inside of him. 

Harry holds onto Louis’ hands in a tight grip as he lets Louis fuck into him deeper and harder. 

“Come on Harry,” Louis whispers into Harry’s ear. “Let me see how beautiful you look when you come for me.”

“Ngh!”

Louis takes Harry’s noise as a good sign, no doubt he’s getting close so he continues taunting him to get him there faster. “You’re such a good boy for me Harry. You did so good, not moving and letting me taste you all over. Show me how good you are, baby. How well you take my cock.”

That seems to do it for him because Harry’s body twitches and he’s coming all over the headboard. Louis kisses his shoulder and thrusts quicker until his own orgasm is ripped out of him. 

They fall onto the bed together, breathing hard.

“Fuck, Louis. Your dirty talk drives me crazy,” Harry pants, moving his hair out of his sweaty face.

Louis blushes at the compliment, “Thanks. You make it easy, though.” He doesn’t miss the shy smile on Harry’s face that he tries to hide when he rolls out of bed to clean up.

Louis stares after him as he disappears through the door and finds that he misses him. He misses Harry and he’s just in the other room not even gone for a minute. When did he become so addicted to Harry? So much that he feels like he can’t breathe sometimes until he catches sight of him. How Louis can’t wait to see Harry after a stressful day, knowing that he will make it better no matter what. 

Zayn’s words replay in Louis’ mind  _ With you and Harry it can never be casual. He is the love of your life… _

“He is the love of my life,” Louis whispers to himself. Hearing it out loud gives him goosebumps. 

Could it really be that easy to figure out though? Can people really change? Let's say for argument’s sake that Harry does want all the same thing that Louis wants: marriage, the house, the kids, everything. What if he just thinks he wants that because he sees Niall and Shawn getting married and Zayn and Liam about to have their first child? All that joy is contagious and maybe it makes him think he wants those things, but then when it really comes down to it he realizes that he doesn’t. 

Louis feels a wet cloth against his dick getting his attention from his revolving thoughts. Harry is cleaning him up, a soft smile on his face.

“Thanks,” he mutters. 

Harry leans to peck him on the lips. “You’re welcome,” he says. He’s already dressed in his pajamas. “Now come on, put your clothes back on and let’s go to sleep. I’m knackered.”

  
  
  


Evan Xavier Malik-Payne is born on Thursday, February 23, 2023 at 1:53am. They get the call in the middle of the night when Louis and Harry are asleep in bed together. Zayn informs them that the baby is a healthy 8 pounds and 6 ounces and everyone is doing great. 

They planned ahead of time that the group wouldn’t be at the hospital for the birth, wanting to give Zayn and Liam that time alone as a family so they say their congratulations and agree that they’ll be informed when the baby gets discharged so they can all meet at the house.

“Evan Xavier, I love that name,” Harry rasps, blinking heavily while Louis puts his phone away.

“Yeah. I bet it suits him perfectly.”

The baby gets discharged on Saturday morning, so the rest of the group meets at the house to set up a welcome home baby sign with balloons, gifts, and lots and lots of diapers and wipes. Harry insisted on baking a cake because it’s a special occasion. 

Zayn and Liam arrive around noon. Liam is carrying the carseat, covered in a pink and blue blanket to shield the baby from the cold. They’re greeted with hugs and kisses before they all settle in the living room. Liam removes the blanket to reveal the tiniest little baby Louis has ever seen. He may be eight pounds, but he still looks so fragile and small. Zayn unbuckles the seat belt and very carefully carries him out into his arms.

“Everyone, this is Evan,” he announces with the most gentle voice he’s ever heard on Zayn. The group huddles around him, everyone wanting to get a glimpse of the precious bundle of joy. 

“He’s absolutely perfect,” Harry marvels with a bright grin.

“He is, isn’t he?” Liam asks. He looks so happy and proud, and they should be. They created the cutest little human.

Harry gets his camera out and begins taking pictures of everyone’s interactions with the baby. Zayn had asked Harry weeks ago if he could document their first moments with their baby since they were both going to be too busy and tired the first few weeks to do so and they didn’t want to miss anything. 

Everyone gets a turn holding the baby. Louis gets to go first, holding Evan in his arms and staring at his cute little face. He’s making fists and nuzzling into them, and he can’t help but gush at every single thing he does.

“Louis, look over here,” Harry tells him. Louis looks up and Harry takes a picture of him with Evan. Harry examines the picture and smiles fondly. “Aw it came out so good, look.”

Harry moves to show him the display of his camera revealing the picture of him with the baby. Louis looks like a natural, which having as many siblings as he does helps. However, this is different. It makes Louis long for the day that he gets to bring his own baby home from the hospital. 

“Okay, my turn!” Harry chirps, making grabby hands at the baby.

Louis pouts, but hands the baby over. He grabs the camera from Harry in the process.

Harry stares at the baby with eyes and mouth wide, he’s fucking glowing. “You are the most beautiful baby I’ve ever seen,” he stares in awe. “I can’t wait until I have a baby of my own so you can be best friends just like I am with your daddies. Yes, I am,” Harry coos in a high pitched baby voice and makes kissy noises.

Louis takes a picture of them together then pauses when he hears what Harry just said.

_ I can’t wait to have a baby of my own _

“Can we cut the cake? I’m starving,” Niall complains, rubbing his belly. It distracts Louis from the phrase that keeps playing over in his head and he volunteers to cut it just to give him something to do that isn’t staring at Harry talking about his future children.

Louis reaches his breaking point soon enough.

A couple of weeks later, Louis is home doing some cleaning around the apartment when Harry comes home with several shopping bags. 

“Hey aren’t you supposed to be getting on a plane in a couple of hours?” Louis asks, checking his phone for the time. 

Harry drops the bags on the couch with a grin. “Yeah, yeah I know. I had to go to the store for some socks and I might have gone a little overboard,” he admits.

“What? Did you buy the store’s entire sock collection or something?”

Harry snorts, “No. I actually forgot all about the socks because I walked by the baby section,” he explains digging through one of the bags. He pulls out a couple of onesies, “Look how freaking cute these are!”

The onesie on the right says “Party at my Crib” with a picture of a crib on it and the other one has a storm trooper and it says “Storm Pooper”.

“Oh my god,” Louis coos. “You would get all the punny ones.”

Harry shrugs unashamed. “Yeah I can only imagine the kind of stuff I’m going to be buying for my own kids one day.”

The comment comes out so naturally that Louis doesn’t catch it at first but when he does he freezes. 

“What?” Louis asks with a tight voice. 

Harry stares at Louis confused, “I just meant that I’m going to buy a bunch of silly shit like this for my own kids someday. If my husband lets me,” he chuckles not realizing what he’s doing to Louis.

That’s what makes Louis crack. He tosses the onesie in his hand toward the couch.

“You’re not supposed to want all these things, Harry!” Louis bellows waving his arms out.

Harry flinches at the tone of Louis’ voice, taking a step back. “What are you talking about, Louis?”

“What am I talking about? I’m talking about how  _ you, _ ” he points a finger in Harry’s direction, “You said you didn’t want to get married. You told me you didn’t want kids! So we broke up and I put you away in this little box in my mind, locked it up, threw away the key and moved on,” Louis drops his arms to his sides, sighing.

“Now you’re talking about your future children and husband like it’s something you’ve wanted all along and...well it fucking hurts Harry. It hurts because I told you I wanted all those things with you but you told me you didn’t! You broke my heart and it sucked. But I moved on and found someone who did want all those things. Nick wanted to have a family with me, he wanted to marry me and then he broke my heart too.

“And now here you are again, saying all the things I’ve been wanting you to say when we were together and it’s just not fair. It’s not fair that we’ve both moved on and now you’re talking about wanting the family I’ve always dreamed of.

“It was never about the marriage and kids was it? It was the fact that you didn’t want those things with me.”

Harry stares in shock, wide eyed. Louis doesn’t realize he’s been crying until he feels the tears trailing down his cheeks. He wipes his face with the back of his hand and sniffs. Harry opens and closes his mouth a few times, but no words come out which pretty much tells Louis everything he needs to know. 

Louis turns and disappears into his bedroom. He packs some clothes into a duffle bag. Harry is supposed to leave town tonight for a work assignment so he’ll come back to get the rest of his things later. 

After grabbing his laptop he bursts out of his room, avoiding Harry who is still standing in the living room like a statue. Louis grabs his keys and that’s when he hears Harry call out to him.

“Don’t, Harry. I already heard you loud and clear,” he growls, before walking out of the apartment and slamming the door shut behind him. 

  
It isn’t until he’s in his car driving on the highway that he lets himself sob because  _ once again, _ he has fallen in love with Harry Styles and got his heart broken.


	20. Chapter 20

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ok here we are! the end!
> 
> I don't think I ever mentioned that the idea for this fic came after listening to "So Long" by Niall. It's my favorite song from him and I just think this song embodies Harry and Louis' entire story in that one song. So I highly suggest listening to that. Okay anyway, I hope you like the conclusion to this story!

**March 2023**

The ache in Louis’ chest is hauntingly familiar. There was a hole that was left from the first time he broke up with Harry that only got larger when Nick left him. Now that hole is gaping, leaving only tiny pieces of Louis’ heart in its wake. 

He’s tempted to drive to Liam and Zayn’s but with the new baby the last thing Louis wants to do is disrupt their little happy bubble with his problems. So he has no choice but to go to his own home even though he’d rather not be there right now.

The space brings too many of Louis’ insecurities to the forefront, moreso after the blowout with Harry. But he sucks it up, gets his duffle out of the trunk and staggers into the home that was supposed to be taking him one step closer to making all of his dreams come true. 

The silence is overbearing, the only sound that echoes is the steps Louis’ feet make when he takes the stairs one at a time to his bedroom. His bed is made with a black and grey duvet that he personally picked out and set up after he arrived from London. One of the first things he did when he returned from his trip was come here to make sure everything was set up how he wanted. He could have moved in back then, but the only thing that stopped him was Harry and the fact that Louis wasn’t ready to let him go.

Maybe if he would have done it at that time, all this could have been avoided but Louis doubts it.

Louis plops face down on the bed, the new mattress sinking him in with its comfort like a warm hug. He lets himself have tonight to sulk and nurse his heartache. Tomorrow he’ll pick himself back up and pick up the pieces. Those are his last thoughts when he closes his eyes and lets sleep take over. 

He got lucky that Harry had to leave last night on a work assignment in New York for two weeks. It gives Louis the space and time he needs to get the rest of his things out of the apartment without the chance that he’ll run into his ex. When he’s done loading up his car, he leaves a written note with his key letting Harry know that he’s moved out and will continue to pay his part of the rent if he needs him to. It’s the least he can do for leaving so suddenly. 

When he gets back to the house, he gets a text from Zayn asking him to come by the bar. Louis doesn’t think twice about it. Not only does he want to see his best friends, but he could use the drink and the distraction.

Zayn is the only one at Benny’s sitting at their booth when Louis arrives.

“Hey, where’s everyone else?”

“Liam is at home with Evan and Niall and Shawn had a thing with Niall’s family,” Zayn replies. 

Louis orders a beer when the waitress comes by. “Liam could have come with the baby. It didn’t stop you guys last time. I would have loved to get some baby cuddles,” he pouts.

Zayn huffs, “I’m not going to have Benny’s be the place my newborn son frequents. Plus, Harry took a picture of our first outing and it was here. I made him delete it and do it over while we took a stroll through the park.”

Louis laughs even though mention of Harry makes his heart twinge, but his facial features don’t give anything away.

Louis gets his beer and takes a swig of it. “Are you getting any sleep?” 

“Not really, but Liam and I take shifts during the night so we can try to get as much sleep as possible,” Zayn explains, mouth opening wide in a yawn that emphasizes his point. “Did Harry already leave for New York? I don’t remember when that was supposed to be.”

“Uh yeah. Left last night. I um, moved into the house,” Louis says, not looking at Zayn’s face, instead taking a few peanuts from the bowl on their table and shoving them into his mouth.

“I didn’t know you were moving already? You didn’t need help?”

Louis waves him off, “Nah, I took care of it. I didn’t want to bother you guys, I know you’ve been exhausted.”

Zayn gives him an unimpressed look, “That shouldn’t have stopped you from reaching out, Louis. I’m serious.”

“Okay, okay,” Louis says, raising his hands. “I’ll make sure to call next time.”

Seeming satisfied, Zayn nods and takes a sip of his own beer. They end up ordering burgers and catching up. It’s a very chill Sunday evening, the type that makes time pass by slowly.

“So um, I was wondering. Remember when you were trying to set me up with that music teacher at your school?” Louis asks.

Zayn tilts his head in interest, “Yeah. What about him?”

“Do you think he might still be interested?” Louis raises his eyebrows innocently.

“What happened with Harry?” Zayn’s eyes turn into slits.

“Nothing. We’re just not doing what we were doing anymore. Harry still doesn’t want the same things and I’m ready to settle down,” Louis informs him.

Zayn rubs his eyes, yawning again. It makes Louis yawn just looking at how tired he is. His reaction to Louis’ news isn’t as bad as he expected. His eyebrows furrow, but then just shrugs and nods.

“Okay, yeah. Sure. I’ll give him your number.” Zayn must be more exhausted than he’s letting on because wide awake Zayn would be interrogating him to no end, demanding to know what happened with Harry. Louis isn’t going to complain or bring it to his attention.

“Cool. Thanks.”

Louis doesn’t have to wait more than a couple of days before he’s receiving a text from Dominic to ask him out on a date this weekend. He easily accepts, agreeing to meet at Benny’s before going out to dinner. They text throughout the week and the guy seems nice. He’s funny and quirky in a way that Louis likes in the men he dates. 

His exchanges with Dominic help distract Louis and it gets him through the rest of the week. Before he knows it, it’s Friday night and he’s nervously fixing his hair in his ensuite. As he approaches Benny’s, Louis gets a text from Dominic informing him which booth he’s at.

When Louis walks in and sees him he freezes for a split second because Dominic has green eyes and plump lips that remind him of a certain ex he’s trying to get over. However, when he gets closer he smiles and relaxes because the familiarity isn’t as obvious as he first thought.

“Dominic, hey. I’m Louis,” he smirks.

Dominic gets out of the booth to wrap his arms around Louis. He smells like aftershave and cigarettes. “Please, call me Dom. It’s nice to finally meet you.”

They take a seat and order drinks. 

“You know, Zayn showed me a picture of you but you’re so much more gorgeous in person,” Dom tells him after the waitress leaves with their orders. 

Louis blushes, “Zayn didn’t show me a picture, but you took my breath away as soon as I saw you when I walked in,” he admits in return.

The pink flush that covers Dom’s cheeks makes him look even prettier. When their drinks arrive, they get to talking more. Dom tells Louis that he’s in a band with his friends from college and they play local gigs around the city. He promises Louis to send him links to their soundcloud so he can listen to them.

Louis talks about work, the building he designed and built, and his new house. He also talks about his trip to England, leaving Harry out of the details. They head over to the restaurant which is a few blocks away. It’s a bit misty outside, a slight chill in the air but nothing unbearable.

Dinner is just as pleasant. Louis laughs a lot. Dom has a great sense of humor and they have great banter back and forth. Not only can he take Louis’ teasing, but he’s also not afraid to dish it out himself. 

Dom walks Louis to his car when they finish dinner. They don’t kiss, but they do hug and agree to do this again sometime soon. Louis has a text message waiting from Zayn asking him how it went and he tells him all about it when he gets home.

As fun as the date with Dominic was, there’s just something about it that didn’t feel quite right to Louis. So a few days later, he lets Dom know that he wants to remain friends and nothing more.

Louis spends Saturday at Liam and Zayn’s. He offers to babysit to let his friends get some much needed rest and go out to grab a bite to eat. Evan isn’t a very fussy baby, the worst he gets is a wail when he soils his diaper, which Louis takes care of immediately without trouble.

He makes sure the baby is fed, then rocks him in his arms singing his own rendition of the itsy bitsy spider until he falls asleep. Louis places Evan in his swing to keep him rocking so he won’t wake up. He cleans up around the house with the baby monitor in his back pocket in case the baby awakes. The trash is taken out, the dishes get done and he puts a load to wash. By the time Zayn and Liam come back home, he’s in the middle of feeding the baby.

“How was he?” Liam asks, looking over at his son with a soft smile. 

“He did great,” Louis says, staring down at the newborn. “A bit fussy when he went poop, but it was a quick fix.”

The baby finishes the bottle, so Louis sets it aside and turns the baby onto his shoulder to burp him.

“Look at you. You’re a natural,” Zayn comments sporting his own smile.

“It’s called being the oldest of seven kids,” Louis retorts.

Evan burps and coos sleepily. Liam reaches to grab him and Louis helps him settle in his father’s arms. 

“I did your dishes, threw out your trash, and put a load to wash for you,” Louis informs them, taking the burping cloth off his shoulder.

Zayn groans, “Want to move in with us?”

They all laugh and get comfortable in the living room. “I don’t know about moving in but I’ll sleep over tonight.”

“We’ll take whatever you give us,” Liam says.

The following weekend Louis gets a text from Niall that they’re all meeting at Benny’s since Harry just came back from New York. The thought of seeing Harry right now still makes him panic a little, so he makes up an excuse about having to grade papers to get out of it.

It doesn’t take more than a day since he’s been back for Louis to get a text from Harry. When he sees the name on his notification, his heart pounds in his chest.

**Harry** : Hey, Louis, can we talk?

Louis thinks about texting him back, but what can he say? He’s not ready to talk to him. Doesn’t know when he will be. Turning him down is only going to make Harry be more insistent. He decides to ignore it for the moment, hoping Harry takes the hint and gives him space.

Having Evan in the picture means that Zayn and Liam are less available to hang out. Louis doesn’t mind it because it helps him avoid seeing Harry and if he wants to see his friends he stops by the house to get his fill of baby cuddles. 

  
  
  


April is winding down which means the semester is coming closer to its end. Louis has been swamped at work stuck between meetings and classes. He’s been having to sit through presentations for an important assignment that is a big portion of his students’ grade. Louis doesn’t have the mental capacity to focus, but he tries his best to pay attention hoping his T.A. is doing a better job than him.

By the time Friday rolls around all presentations are done. Louis just needs to work on entering the grades in the system before sending them to his students. The drive home is more of a nightmare than normal and all Louis wants is to get home, put on his most comfortable sweats, have a beer and greasy food in front of the TV.

When he finally pulls into the driveway, the light in the living room is on, which makes Louis pause because he’s normally good at remembering to shut everything off before he leaves in the mornings. But with how busy this week has been it wouldn’t surprise him if he missed it today. He takes his messenger bag with him out of the car making sure to lock it behind him. There’s a few pieces of mail waiting for him in the mailbox so he grabs them before getting his keys out of his bag to unlock the front door. He shuts it behind him and drops the mail on the console table in the foyer along with his keys, toeing his shoes off in the process and hanging his messenger bag in the hook by the wall. It’s a habit he’s gotten used to, all part of his daily process in his new home.

As Louis walks towards the stairs he passes by the living room. He almost misses it if it weren’t for the dark figure he catches in the corner of his eye. His heart stops, thinking that there’s an intruder in his home, but when he turns to face them he sees a row of suitcases and a few boxes standing in the middle of his living room. When Louis lifts his gaze, Harry is sitting on his couch, his arms resting on his knees. His eyes look completely terrified, and for a moment Louis can’t help but think that something really bad has happened.

When Harry meets Louis’ gaze he stands, rubbing his fingers together nervously. He doesn’t come any closer, maybe too afraid that Louis will run off if he does.

“What’s um...What are you doing here?” Louis’ voice cracks a little so he clears his throat. His eyes are glued to Harry, wanting to see every move he makes, not wanting to miss even a twitch on his face.

Harry scratches the back of his head, a small, nervous smile on his face. 

“You know, here,” Harry gestures to the living room, “I can see our children snuggled up on the couch huddled in a fuzzy blanket across from the fireplace, eating popcorn and watching Christmas movies,” he says, voice shaking. He walks to the dining room just a few feet away and looks over his shoulder at Louis, “Right here, I can see us all having a family dinner. We’ll make it mandatory that our kids be home for dinner every day before they make plans to go out with their friends. We’ll host Thanksgiving and Christmas. I can picture it, you know? We’d get the tallest Christmas tree we can find and it will be bursting with so many presents. But we’ll make our children wait until Christmas morning to open them, of course.”

Louis is frozen on the spot until Harry takes his hand and moves him over to the kitchen. He is too stunned to do anything but let himself be led. “I can see you and me in the breakfast nook sitting across from each other eating breakfast. You’re reading the paper and I’m checking my work emails while our children are racing down the stairs to eat breakfast and catch the school bus on time.”

Harry opens the patio door and leads Louis through it until they’re standing on the veranda. It brings Louis back to when he first showed his friends the house and he found Harry here quiet and lost in his thoughts. 

“This will be my favorite part of our house I think. We’ll have barbecues whenever the weather's nice. I can see our children playing in the garden. They’ll probably convince us to install a pool and we’ll do it too because we love them and spoil them rotten. I can see us having a dog, perhaps a labradoodle named Clifford or something fancy like that and he’ll love playing fetch and we’ll have to beg him to come inside the house because he’ll always want to be outside.”

By the time Harry faces Louis again after going on his rant, his eyes are shiny with tears. “I see it so clearly, Louis. I saw it the moment I first stepped into this house when you showed it to us for the first time,” he takes both of Louis’ hands and squeezes them. “Don’t you get that? You’re the love of my life. You’re it for me. I don’t want anyone else.”

Louis’ throat burns, his cheeks wet with tears. Harry reaches to wipe some of them off, a wobbly smile on his face waiting for him to say something.

“Why, I mean. What changed?” Louis asks with furrowed brows. 

Harry sniffs, shaking his head. “Nothing has changed Louis. I’ve loved you for almost five years. I may have thought I didn’t want to have this type of future with you or anyone back then, but it took me losing you the first time to realize how wrong I was. It’s just...I’ve been waiting for the right time. 

“I didn’t think you wanted this right now and I was willing to wait as long as you needed. You took me by surprise when you went off on me. I just froze because I was so shocked that you were saying those things and then you left and didn’t want to hear me out, which I understood. I spent the most miserable two weeks in New York. All I wanted to do was come back so I could tell you how I feel.”

Louis clears his throat again, “Okay. So let me get this straight. You’re in love with me? You want to have a family and get married someday? Us, together?”

Harry grins, nodding along. “I am and I do. I love you Louis. So fucking much,” he gestures toward the living room. “I packed up my stuff and brought it all here. I don’t want to be away from you. I can’t.”

Louis laughs wetly, wiping at his cheeks. “So we’re really doing this then? You and me? Forever?”

“Forever and ever baby,” Harry confirms. He takes Louis’ face between his hands, caressing his cheek with his thumb. 

Louis closes the gap between them to capture his lips. Harry takes him by the waist and lifts him up. Louis giggles joyously, wrapping his arms and legs around him like a koala bear. They kiss again which is mostly teeth because they’re both grinning so hard. Louis pulls away to stare at him, makes sure it’s really Harry in front of him.

He leans in close, “Welcome home, Harry,” he whispers against his lips before kissing him again. Harry twirls them around making them giggle joyously. 

If this is a taste of what his future with Harry is going to be like, Louis considers himself the luckiest man in the world.

  
  
  


**October 2023**

Zayn and Louis are a block away from Benny’s when Zayn’s phone rings. 

“Shit, hold on,” he says pausing to answer it. “Hey is everything okay? Oh fuck. Okay, I’ll be right over. Sure, see you soon.”

Zayn’s face falls. “Sorry, dude that was the babysitter. She had a family emergency so I have to go home for Evan.”

Louis checks the time, “Oh okay. Want me to go with you? I’m sure the guys won’t mind waiting.”

Zayn brushes him off, “No that’s okay. Liam’s already on his way here. It’s better if one of us is late rather than three of us.”

“Alright then. Text me if you run into any issues,” Louis offers.

“Will do.” 

Louis watches Zayn disappear around the corner before he resumes his walking. They agreed to meet at Benny’s to celebrate Harry’s job promotion. It would look bad if Louis is late, and wouldn't be a very supportive boyfriend if he was.

There’s a text from Harry waiting asking how much longer he’ll be so he lets him know he’s right down the street before pocketing his phone. It’s a beautiful fall evening in the last week of October. They haven’t had their first snow yet which is a miracle for Chicago. Maybe this year they’ll actually have a full fall season before winter comes and ruins it all with its snow and cold weather.

Louis opens the door to Benny’s but it’s pitch black. He turns around to make sure he’s in the right building. Before he reaches for his phone the lights go on. Louis gasps, taken aback by the fairy lights hanging on every space possible. There is a rose petal path that Louis follows to the small stage they use on karaoke nights. The stage is framed by bouquets of roses and more fairy lights. Louis stands in the middle of it looking around to find Harry staring at him in front of the bar. 

Harry looks so beautiful. He’s wearing a wine colored suit with a black button down shirt. Now Louis sees why Harry told him to dress up with the guise that they were going out somewhere fancy. 

Harry walks the rose pathway toward him, holding his hands without looking away. Even though Louis has an idea of what is happening, he still feels the need to ask.

“Harry, what’s going on?” His voice shakes.

“Five years ago today I met you in this very place. I was standing over there,” Harry points to an area of the room, “when I saw the most gorgeous guy at the bar. Louis, you literally took my breath away. I couldn’t look away. My work friends were teasing me, telling me to just go talk to you because I was being embarrassing,” he chuckles at the memory. “It’s one of the best things I could have done.”

Harry drops down to one knee pulling out a small velvet box out of his coat. Louis can’t help but cover his mouth with his hand, so overwhelmed by the moment.

“Louis Tomlinson, love of my life. I love you with my entire being,” Harry opens the box to reveal a silver ring with small sapphires lined up across it. “Will you marry me? Please?”

Louis is nodding before Harry finishes his question. “God yes. Of course I will,” he cries, leaning down to kiss his fiancé. 

Harry pulls away, “Here, let me put this on you first,” he stands to take out the ring from the box and places it on Louis’ finger. It’s a perfect fit.

Louis stares at it admiring the beauty of the ring. “I love it,” he says wrapping his arms around Harry’s neck to kiss him again. Harry hugs him back while they continue to kiss each other.

“You just made me the happiest man in the world,” Harry murmurs against his cheek.

Louis grins, “Good.”

They kiss again before Louis startles at the sound of footsteps. When he looks over he sees their friends, including Zayn and Evan, Louis’ family and other loved ones. Niall has an iPad on his hand with someone on FaceTime. When they get closer, Louis sees that it’s Anne and Gemma.

The evening turns into an engagement celebration. Evan is wearing a onesie that says “He said yes!” that Louis can’t help but coo over.

“Well, it’s about time you guys got your shit together. I’m happy for you,” Niall declares, hugging them both.

“Thanks, Niall. You’ve always been so good with words,” Louis deadpans.

As the night winds down, people begin to trickle out little by little until it’s just the six of them. Eventually Zayn and Liam call it a night before Niall and Shawn give in as well.

Harry takes Louis’ hand. He plays a song from his phone, one Louis is unfamiliar with but it’s slow and talks about love. Harry moves them to the middle of the room, putting his hands on Louis’ waist. Louis’ arms come up to Harry’s neck. They slow dance cheek to cheek basking in the moment.

“I can’t wait to do this at our wedding,” Harry whispers into Louis’ ear.

Louis smiles, kissing him on the lips and laying his head on Harry’s shoulder. “Me either.”

  
  
  


**June 2024**

Louis takes a look in the mirror one more time to make sure there are no wrinkles or anything misplaced. He adjusts the lapels of his grey suit jacket, running his fingers across them. His matching vest is buttoned up, his white button down pressed and smooth. He loosens his black tie a bit, still not wanting anything so tight against his neck, even on his own wedding day.

A knock on his bedroom door makes him jump.

“Hey, Louis. Are you almost ready? All the guests have arrived and we’re ready to start,” Zayn announces.

Louis smiles at him through the mirror. He takes a nervous breath. “Yeah I think so,” he turns around to his friend, holding his arms out. “How do I look?”

Zayn smiles with teeth and all which is a rarity for him. “You make a beautiful groom. Wait until you see Harry. You’re going to pass out.”

Louis’ heart stutters, his breathing quickening. “Oh god. Okay. I can do this. I’m ready. I’ve been waiting for this day for years.”

Zayn puts an arm around him, rubbing his back. “We’ve all been waiting for this day.”

Louis huffs, “Hey.”

Zayn giggles, “All joking aside. I really am happy for you two. In spite of all the obstacles and heartbreak, you guys found your way back to each other. I always knew you would.”

“You did?”

“I did. Liam and I managed to find our way back. I knew the same would happen for you.”

“What a sap,” Louis teases.

Zayn elbows him before they’re interrupted by Jay.

“Louis, oh my god. You look amazing,” she cries with shiny eyes. Jay wraps him in a hug and a knot forms in his throat. He may not be wearing mascara, but he doesn’t want his eyes to swell with tears.

“Thank you, mom. You ready to walk with me down the aisle?”

“Come on,” she says taking his arm. “Your boy is waiting for you.”

Zayn walks ahead of them to make sure everyone is in their places. When they’re given the okay, Louis walks with his mom hanging off his arm. They walk down the stairs, step by step until they get to the patio door. When they step through there is a white aisle runner covered in light pink petals that Emilia scattered on the floor as the flower girl. 

Louis bites his lip to keep it from wobbling. Everyone is on their feet watching him walk across the aisle. When his gaze meets Harry across the veranda his breath stutters. He’s grinning brighter than the sun shining down on them. Harry is wearing a white suit with a light pink button down and a white tie. Louis can tell his eyes are teary and his hands are trembling. He focuses on him, getting closer and closer to living the rest of their lives together.

They stop when they are just a couple of feet away. Louis turns to kiss his mother on the cheek before joining Harry up front. They grab each other’s hands. Harry mouths a hi at him that he returns. 

Niall officiates the ceremony as they exchange vows in front of their closest friends and family. They both wanted a small ceremony, with just the people most important to them, including Gemma and Anne who flew in from Holmes Chapel. Everyone they love is present being witness to their declarations of love to each other.

Once they’re pronounced husbands, people clap and throw rose petals as Louis and Harry disappear to have a moment to themselves before the reception.

Harry takes Louis’ face in his hands and kisses him deeper than the kiss they exchanged just seconds ago.

“Hey, husband,” he grins after pulling away.

Louis’ eyes roam Harry’s face. He doesn’t think he’s seen him as happy as he looks right now. Louis places another kiss on his lips. “Hi, husband. I can’t believe I’m finally married to you.”

“Me either,” kiss, “God Louis. I’m just so fucking happy right now.” he lifts Louis off his feet, hugging him tightly. 

Louis giggles, “You’re such a sap.”

“Come on, husband. We still have to do our first dance as husbands. Then I’ll get to have sex with my husband. And then we’ll get to go on our honeymoon to Brazil, and I’ll get to brag to people that you’re my husband because they won’t already know like everyone here does.”

Louis rolls his eyes fondly. “Let’s go, husband. People are waiting,” he says, taking Harry’s left hand. He can feel Harry’s wedding ring against his fingers giving Louis a thrill like no other.

Today is the first day of the rest of their lives and Louis can’t wait to spend forever with Harry.

  
  
  


**December 2030**

There is nothing Louis loves more than having a lazy morning sleeping in with the black out curtains covering the sunlight from the windows and the warmth of his comforter. Unfortunately for him, today is not one of those mornings. 

“Happy Birthday Daddy!”

“Ouch!” Louis sits up startled after his daughter Sophie accidentally knees him in the balls.

“Sorry, daddy, but it’s your birthday. You have to wake up!” she shouts cheerfully, hopping on the bed before wrapping her little arms around Louis’ neck.

Louis kisses her on top of her head. “It’s my birthday? Really?” Sophie nods, “I thought I stopped getting older after my 30th.”

Sophie giggles like Louis just said the funniest thing in the world. “Don’t be silly, daddy. Everyone has birthdays. I just turned four last week, remember?” She holds four fingers up to Louis’ face.

“Oh right, right. Okay then. Where’s the rest of the brood?”

“Gemma and Georgie are helping papa with breakfast. He told me to wake you up and tell you to come to the kitchen,” she informs him.

Since Gemma and George are only two, Louis is sure helping with breakfast most likely means Harry letting them drop chocolate chips into the pancake batter. Louis rolls out of bed and takes Sophie into his arms.

“Come on then baby girl. Let’s have some breakfast.” He carries her out of the room and she taps his shoulder.

“Put me down, daddy. I can walk. I’m a big girl,” she proclaims. Louis pouts, missing the time when she was too little to walk on her own. God, how time flies. He puts Sophie down on the floor dropping one more kiss to her face before letting her go and she bounds down the hall, stepping down the stairs while holding onto the bannister. 

When he enters the kitchen, Louis finds Harry carrying Georgie against his hip, flipping pancakes with his unoccupied hand. Gemma is on her eating chair tearing into a pancake with chocolate all over her face. It’s a sight to behold.

“Good morning!” Louis calls out.

Harry turns around, spatula in hand with a happy grin on his face. “There’s our birthday boy! Georgie, go give daddy a birthday hug and kiss,” he says, putting the two year old down.

George runs into Louis, his chunky arms up in the air babbling “daddy” and “buday”. Louis picks him up and hugs him. Georgie kisses him on the cheek and Louis closes his eyes taking in the feeling of his child loving on him.

“Aww thank you buddy,” he kisses him back before taking him to his own chair next to his twin sister and straps him in. Sophie is already at the table sitting in her booster chair going through one of her favorite books so he leaves her to it while he goes back to where Harry is. Louis wraps his arms around his husband, nuzzling his neck. He smells like pancake batter and sweat, it’s heavenly. Louis kisses him on his shoulder and whispers, “Hey baby.”

Harry shuts off the stove, piling up the last of the pancakes on the plate before turning around and wrapping his arms around Louis’ neck. He kisses him sweetly.

“Mmm you even taste like chocolate,” Louis moans, going in for another kiss.

Harry giggles, “Happy birthday, my love.”

Louis kisses him again. “Thank you.” They pull apart, knowing they don’t have much time to themselves before one of their children needs something. He claps his hands together, “Okay, who’s ready for papa’s famous pancakes?”

The children yelp making grabby hands. Louis helps Harry with the plates, starting with the twins before placing Sophie’s plate in front of hers. 

“Mmm! Papa, these are so good!” Sophie yells before stuffing her face with another bite getting chocolate all around her lips.

“Yes, Papa. Delicious,” Louis says, glancing at Harry with a smirk. 

It’s a whole ordeal cleaning up and getting the kids bathed and dressed before putting them down for a nap. They need to rest up before they go over to Jay’s house for more birthday celebrations and Harry helping Jay prep for Christmas dinner tomorrow.

Louis picks up the scattered toys the kids left behind in the living room, almost bumping into their gigantic Christmas tree. When Louis puts the things away he finds Harry relaxing on the couch watching something in low volume on TV. Louis drops next to him leaning his head on his shoulder. 

“Want to cuddle?”

Harry smirks, turning to look at him. “Yes, but first,” he says reaching over for an envelope resting on the coffee table that Louis hadn’t noticed. “Open your birthday gift.”

Louis smiles, kissing Harry on the cheek. He knows he shouldn’t bother saying anything like he shouldn’t have by now. Instead, he pulls out the card. It’s a handmade card with the children’s handprints painted on it. When he opens it, a piece of paper falls out of it. He picks it up to examine what it is. 

A gasp escapes Louis’ lips as his eyes roam over the sonogram image in his hand. There’s no baby shape yet, just a tiny little blob shaped like a peanut.

“Holly called me yesterday to tell me the news. It’s still too early to tell people, just 10 weeks, but,” Harry shrugs.

“We’re having another baby?” Louis asks grinning.

Harry nods, “We’re having another baby,” he chirps.

Louis takes Harry into his arms. He can’t help but tear up because this is his dream coming true again and again with each of their children. They have to make the most of it this time around because they had both discussed years ago that they would stop at four kids. Gemma and George were a happy surprise getting a two for one type of deal. Louis couldn’t have asked for a more perfect life.

Harry pulls away to stare Louis in the eyes. “I love you Louis. I thank the universe every single day for picking me to be your husband. I couldn’t have asked for a better life with you.”

Louis takes in Harry’s words and he knows that feeling so well. He counts his lucky stars every day since the moment Harry walked into this very house with his bags packed and ready to spend the rest of his life next to Louis. They’ve come a long way since then, filling their house with life and memories for years to come.

“I love you too, babe. Always will.”

Louis' eyes fall on the Christmas stockings hanging on top of their fireplace with each of their names painted in glitter. Validation that his dreams have long ago become reality.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again I want to thank my betas Maggie and Lynda. Without you this fic wouldn’t be the same. Thank you to those who read this as a wip. Thanks for being patient and encouraging. Y’all are the reason why I managed to finish this so thank you!

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Don't forget to leave kudos and/or a comment :)
> 
> If you want to reblog the fic post I created you can do so [here.](https://dimpled-halo.tumblr.com/post/618201092305698816/wait-for-it-by-dimpledhalo-youre-doing-it)


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